John Locke Foundation

John Locke Foundation (JLF)

Background

The John Locke Foundation was created in 1990 as an independent, nonprofit think tank working โ€œfor truth, for freedom, and for the future of North Carolina.โ€1โ€œAbout the John Locke Foundation,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/f00pk The Foundation is funded significantly by Art Pope, who previously served on the foundation’s board of directors.2โ€œJohn Locke Foundation Board of Directors,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived March 1, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Rqk0F

A 2010 investigation by the Institute for Southern Studies found the John Locke Foundation to be one of the most outspoken climate skeptics in North Carolina, working together with other groups funded by the Koch Brothers and Art Pope. At the time of the article, Art Pope provided 80% of the organization’s funding โ€” adding up to $16.9 million from 1997 to 2008.3Sue Sturgis. โ€œA Pope of climate denial,โ€ FacingSouth, December 26, 2010. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FEkOG

According to their mission statement, โ€œThe John Locke Foundation employs research, journalism, and outreach programs to transform government through competition, innovation, personal freedom, and personal responsibility.โ€ It was founded by John Hood and Marc Rotterman, treasurer of the American Conservative Union.4โ€œAbout the John Locke Foundation,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/f00pk 5โ€œA 20-Year Legacy: Fighting for Freedom, Truth, Responsibility,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/sPFB0

John Hood describes JLFโ€™s journalism arm as a โ€œkey milestone for the foundation,โ€ and as a โ€œrelentless government watchdog.โ€ He noted, โ€œthere are still many policy challenges ahead, including alarmist climate change policies, the stifling of public charter schools, the spend-and-tax habit of state and local officials, weak private property rights protections, and local government intrusion disguised as ‘smart growth’ policies.โ€6โ€œA 20-Year Legacy: Fighting for Freedom, Truth, Responsibility,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/sPFB0

In 2014, John Hood moved to a new job as president of the John William Pope Foundation while maintaining a position as chairman of JLF. Kory Swanson, previously Executive Vice President of JLF, was promoted to President and CEO in 2014.7(Press Release). โ€œJLF promotes Swanson to president and CEO as 25th anniversary approaches,โ€ John Locke Foundation, November 20, 2014. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/g3Fp1

Stance on Climate Change

2015

โ€œAre carbon dioxide emissions linked to an industrialized world pushing the earthโ€™s temperature to a tipping point, beyond which lies catastrophe and mayhem? If not, and the absence of any significant warming for more than 18 years suggests that the question is at least debatable, the ongoing international climate talks in Paris are unlikely to yield useful policies.โ€ โ€” Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation.8โ€œExposing Questionable Claims About Inequality,โ€ Carolina Journal, December 4, 2015. Archived April 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/BaXHy

โ€œThe idea of North Carolina taking extra steps beyond what the federal government is going to call for to cut carbon emissions, the idea that that would have any impact on global warming, is ludicrous. It would not happen. All you would do is put another obstacle or road block in place in terms of industry in North Carolina for no good reason.

I think it’s beyond dispute that if North Carolina took steps on its own to address global warming there would be no impact. So suing the state to take these steps is not going to have the result that this obviously committed student wants to have.โ€ โ€” Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation.9โ€œ13-YEAR-OLD FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA OVER CLIMATE CHANGE,โ€abc11 eyewitness news, November 13, 2015. Archived April 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/cAiiT

2012

โ€œWhile global warming is real, and human activities are one cause, it now appears that the most publicized forecasts systematically overestimate the rate of temperature rise.โ€10Patrick Michaels. โ€œHigh Tide for Hype on the OBX: Apocalyptic predictions miss the mark on North Carolina sea levels,โ€ John Locke Foundation, September 26, 2012. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tSkCH

2007

โ€œThe Earth has indeed warmed during the last few decades and may warm further in the future. But the pattern of climate change is not consistent with the greenhouse effect being the main cause.โ€11โ€œA North Carolina Citizenโ€™s Guide to Global Warmingโ€ (PDF), John Locke Foundation Policy Report, July, 2007. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

2005

โ€œ[T]he scientific issues involved [in climate change] are complex and unsettled. [โ€ฆ] a green house gas reduction policy would have only costs and no benefits.โ€12โ€œGlobal Warming Policy: NC Should Do Nothingโ€ (PDF), No. 253โ€” April 12, 2005. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Funding

The following is based on publicly-available tax data compiled by the Conservative Transparency project. Note that not all individual funding values have been verified by DeSmog for accuracy.13โ€œJohn Locke Foundation,โ€ Conservative Transparency. Accessed November 14, 2015.

View the attached spreadsheet for full details on John Locke Foundation’s funding by year (.xlsx).

DonorTotal
John William Pope Foundation$26,020,306
Donors Capital Fund$864,200
The Roe Foundation$330,000
Jaquelin Hume Foundation$315,000
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation$249,972
Chase Foundation of Virginia$156,980
Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation$80,000
State Policy Network$75,814
JM Foundation$55,000
DonorsTrust$37,150
Thomas W Smith Foundation$34,500
Searle Freedom Trust$30,000
Cato Institute$20,000
Schwab Charitable Fund$19,000
Charles Koch Institute$7,500
Institute for Liberty$7,500
National Christian Charitable Foundation$1,450
Friedman Foundation For Educational Choice$1,000
Brady Education Foundation$1,000
Grand Total$28,306,372

990 Forms

Philip Morris Funding

According to SourceWatch,14โ€œJohn Locke Foundation,โ€ SourceWatch profile. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5hFd2 JLF has also received funding from Philip Morris.15โ€œISSUES WATCH. TOBACCO INDUSTRY SPONSORSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES .โ€ Legacy Tobacco Documents Library. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/EfpNr

Koch Funding

Greenpeace reports that JLF received $147,472 from Koch foundations between 1997 and 2014.16โ€œJohn Locke Foundation (JLF): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,โ€ Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/UdY3R

*Original tax forms prior to 1997 are no longer available for verification.17โ€œJohn Locke Foundation (JLF): Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group,โ€ Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/UdY3R

YearCharles G. Koch Charitable FoundationClaude R. Lambe Charitable FoundationCharles Koch InstituteGrand Total
1995*$12,000 $12,000
1997$5,000 $5,000
1999 $5,000 $5,000
2000 $5,000 $5,000
2002 $5,000 $5,000
2003 $5,000 $5,000
2004 $50,000 $50,000
2005 $10,000 $10,000
2009$37,472 $37,472
2012$25,000 $25,000
2016$30,000 $30,000
2017$85,500 $85,500
2018$55,000 $7,500$62,500
Grand Total$249,972$80,000$7,500$337,472

Key People

View the attached spreadsheet for additional information and sources for the John Locke Foundation’s key people by year (.xlsx), or explore the data below:

Actions

April 6, 2020

JLF, represented by Donald van der Vaart, was signatory to an American Energy Alliance letter to President Donald Trump supporting the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule which would scrap federal fuel economy mandates under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.18CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.

Describing CAFE, the letter contends: โ€œThose families and individuals who prefer or need trucks, SUVs, and crossovers pay more to subsidize those who buy smaller vehicles or electric vehicles under the existing mandate. This significant, needless, and unjust cost is a very real regressive tax on American families that has made our country worse off.โ€19CAFE-Coaliton-to-Trump-April-2020-9 (PDF), American Energy Alliance.

March 23, 2020

As reported at DeSmog,20Dana Drugmand. โ€œUnder Cover of Pandemic, Fossil Fuel Interests Unleash Lobbying Frenzy,โ€ DeSmog, April 2, 2020. Life:Powered sent a letter to Congress critical of the COVID-19 stimulus package for including โ€œtax incentives and spending for unreliable ‘green’ energy
programs.โ€ 21Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The letter, to which the John Locke Foundation is a signatory, concludes:22Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

โ€œThis is no time for political games. Climate change is not an immediate threat to humanity. Climate-related deaths have declined 98.9% in the last century, and humanity is growing more and more resilient thanks to the availability of affordable, reliable energy. On behalf of all Americans, we urge you to oppose any stimulus proposals that carve out special treatment for or bail out any energy companies and focus instead on stopping COVID-19.โ€23Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The full list of signatories is below:24Coronavirus Stimulus Letter, Life:Powered, March 23, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

NameTitleOrganization
Jason IsaacSenior Manager & Distinguished FellowLife:Powered/Texas Public Policy Foundation
Myron EbellDirector, Center for Energy and EnvironmentCompetitive Enterprise Institute
Bette GrandeCEORoughrider Policy Center
Ellen WeaverPresident & CEOPalmetto Promise Institute
Isaac OrrPolicy FellowCenter of the American Experiment
Bethany MarcumExecutive DirectorAlaska Policy Forum
David T. StevensonDirector, Center for Energy and EnvironmentCaesar Rodney Institute
Donald van der VaartSenior FellowJohn Locke Foundation
Jason HayesDirector of Environmental PolicyMackinac Center for Public Policy
John Droz, Jr.FounderAlliance for Wise Energy Decisions
George K. Rasley, Jr.Managing EditorConservativeHQ.com
Becky Norton DunlopFormer Secretary of Natural ResourcesCommonwealth of Virginia
James L. MartinFounder/Chairman60 Plus Association
Saulius โ€œSaulโ€ AnuzisPresident60 Plus Association
Ken BlackwellSenior FellowFamily Research Council
Eunie SmithPresidentEagle Forum
Jenny Beth MartinHonorary ChairmanTea Party Patriots Action
Jon CaldaraPresidentIndependence Institute
L. Brent Bozell, IIIFounder and PresidentMedia Research Center
Jason PyeVice President of Legislative AffairsFreedomWorks
Jameson TaylorVice President for PolicyMississippi Center for Public Policy
Carol Platt LiebauPresidentYankee Institute
Mike StenhouseCEORhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity
Daniel ErspamerCEOPelican Institute for Public Policy
Christian N. BraunlichPresidentThomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Todd MyersEnvironmental DirectorWashington Policy Center

May 9, 2019

The John Locke Foundation, represented by Kory Swanson, signed on to an open letter organized by the American Energy Alliance designed to fight against an electric vehicle tax credit.25โ€œDear Senator Grassley, Senator Wyden, Representative Neal and Representative Brady:โ€ May 9, 2019. Retrieved from The Daily Caller.

โ€œThe American Energy Alliance has organized a coalition to proclaim in one unified voice that there should be no expansion of the misguided electric vehicle tax credit,โ€ Thomas Pyle wrote in a statement, quoted at The Daily Caller. โ€œThere is no question that the electric vehicle tax credit distorts the auto market to no gain.โ€26Christ White. โ€œCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโ€™S TAX CREDITS โ€˜OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ€™,โ€The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

According to Pyle and others who signed the letter, electric vehicle tax credits โ€œoverwhelmingly benefit the rich.โ€ DeSmog’s Koch vs. Clean project has systematically debunked this, among other well-rehearsed talking points and misinformation put forward by industry about electric vehicles.27Christ White. โ€œCONSERVATIVES WARN LAWMAKERS: TESLAโ€™S TAX CREDITS โ€˜OVERWHELMINGLY BENEFIT THE RICHโ€™,โ€The Daily Caller, May 9, 2019. Archived May 9, 2019. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/qzvF3

The letter cites research by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a group that has received over $600,000 from ExxonMobil and millions from โ€œdark moneyโ€ groups DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund.

July 18, 2018

The John Locke Foundation, represented by Becki Gray, was among signatories of a letter supporting an anti-carbon tax resolution from House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.28โ€œ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ€ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

โ€œWe oppose any carbon tax. We oppose a carbon tax because it would lead to less income and fewer jobs for American families,โ€ the letter read. โ€œWe support the House Concurrent Resolution in opposition to a job-killing carbon tax and urge members to co-sponsor and support this effort.โ€29โ€œ41 Conservative Groups Support Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution,โ€ Americans for Tax Reform, July 18, 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The resolution would call a carbon tax โ€œdetrimental to the United States economy.โ€E&E News reported it was similar to a measure that passed the House in 2016. Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, co-chairman of the Climate Solutions Caucus, said he would not vote for the resolution.30Nick Sobczyk. โ€œHouse voting on anti-carbon-tax measure: ‘Pass the popcorn’,โ€ E&E News, July 16, 2018. Archived Aug 2, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/aTP8h

โ€œProtecting our environment and economic growth are not mutually exclusive,โ€ he said in a statement. โ€œThe resolution presents a false choice.โ€31Nick Sobczyk. โ€œHouse voting on anti-carbon-tax measure: ‘Pass the popcorn’,โ€ E&E News, July 16, 2018. Archived Aug 2, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.fo/aTP8h

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the measure when it was first introduced.32โ€œTeaching opportunities from House Concurrent Resolution 119 (H.Con.Res.119)โ€ (PDF), Citizens’ Climate Lobby, April 30, 2018.

May 8, 2017

The John Locke Foundation, represented by Kory Swanson, is listed on an open letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him โ€œto withdraw fully from the Paris Climate Treaty and to stop all taxpayer funding of UN global warming programs.โ€33โ€œDear Mr. Presidentโ€ (PDF), retrieved from Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

DeSmog reported that the 40 groups represented in the letter, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), The Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation, have received a combined total of millions of dollars from the Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, and other industry groups.34Graham Readfearn. โ€œConservative Groups Pushing Trump To Exit Paris Climate Deal Have Taken Millions From Koch Brothers, Exxon,โ€ DeSmog, May 10, 2017.

Analysis also showed that the groups accepted about $80 million through Donors Capital Fund and Donors Trust, two groups that have been confirmed is a key financial source for key U.S-based climate change denial groups.35Susanne Goldberg. โ€œConservative groups spend up to bn a year to fight action on climate change,โ€ The Guardian, December 20, 2013. Archived May 12, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/TB2yy

July 12, 2016

The John Locke Foundation (JLF), represented by Kory Swanson, was among 22 groups represented in a โ€œCoalitionโ€ open letter pushing back against what the Heartland Institute describes as an โ€œaffront to free speech.โ€ The groups are responding to the recent Web of Denial Resolution brought up in the Senate, calling out fossil fuel industry-funded groups denying climate change.36Jim Lakely. โ€œ#WebOfDenial Push by Senate Dems Exposes Their Hatred of Free Speech,โ€ Somewhat Reasonable (Heartland Institute Blog), July 12, 2016. Archived July 14, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/eFCkh

According to the Climate Investigations Center, all but one of the open letter’s signatory organizations have taken money (totalling at least $92 million since 1997) from the โ€œclimate denial webโ€ including Koch Brothers’ various foundations, ExxonMobil, and two โ€œDark Moneyโ€ organizations, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.37Cindy Baxter. โ€œFront Groups Attacking #WebofDenial Senate Action Took Over M in Dark, Dirty Money,โ€ Desmog, July 14, 2016. Originally posted at Climate Investigations Center.

Championed by Senators Whitehouse, Markey, Schatz, Boxer, Merkley, Warren, Sanders, and Franken, the resolution condemns what they are calling the #WebOfDenial โ€” โ€œinterconnected groups โ€“ funded by the Koch brothers, major fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Peabody Coal, identity-scrubbing groups like Donors Trust and Donors Capital, and their allies โ€“ developed and executed a massive campaign to deceive the public about climate change to halt climate action and protect their bottom lines.โ€38Brendan Demelle. โ€œSenators Launch Resolution, Speech Blitz Calling Out #WebOfDenial Blocking Climate Action,โ€ DeSmog, July 11, 2016.

The open letter addresses the senators, calling them โ€œtyrantsโ€:

โ€œWe hear you. Your threat is clear: There is a heavy and inconvenient cost to disagreeing with you. Calls for debate will be met with political retribution. Thatโ€™s called tyranny. And, we reject it.โ€39Coalition Letter to Senate Web of Denial Resolution (PDF). Retrieved from the Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The full list of signatories and their respective organizations is as follows:

June 13, 2016

The John Locke Foundation released a โ€œspotlightโ€ report describing gas-fired power plants as โ€œfar more efficient and far less expensive than solar and wind plants.โ€40โ€œSpotlight 476: Natural Gas,โ€ John Locke Foundation, June 13, 2016. Full study available at Scribd. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

According to the study, โ€œthe process of hydraulic fracturing is intrinsically safe.โ€ It also contends that natural gas exploration has a lower impact on the land than renewables, as โ€œWind and solar plants, by contrast, require enormous amounts of land.โ€41โ€œSpotlight 476: Natural Gas,โ€ John Locke Foundation, June 13, 2016. Full study available at Scribd. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

โ€œCompared with solar and wind plants, natural gas is many times over more efficient and reliable. It also uses considerably less land and with much less disruption of natural ecosystems than solar and wind plants,โ€ the study concludes.42โ€œSpotlight 476: Natural Gas,โ€ John Locke Foundation, June 13, 2016. Full study available at Scribd. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

February 23, 2016

The John Locke Foundation released a report, written by Todd Myers, which claims that green schools in North Carolina โ€œfall short of their promises to protect the environment through lower energy costs and increased efficiency.โ€43Todd Myers. โ€œCertified โ€˜Greenโ€™ Schools: Savings & Benefits Fail To Materialize In North Carolina,โ€ John Locke Foundation, February 23, 2016. Archived April 22, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0Oh6U

July 7โ€“9, 2015

The John Locke Foundation (JLF) was a co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s Tenth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC10) in Washington, DC.44โ€œSponsors,โ€ ICCC10. Archived July 15, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Uyj2K

August 2014

The John Locke Foundation (JLF) released a pro-fracking report titled โ€œFacts on Fracking: Addressing concerns over hydraulic fracturing coming to North Carolinaโ€ (PDF), authored by JLF’s Director or Regulatory Studies, Jon Sanders.

The JLF report concludes that fracking is โ€œa well-tested source of new jobs and revenueโ€ and is โ€œmore controversial than it ought to be.โ€45Jon Sanders. โ€œFacts on Fracking Addressing concerns over hydraulic fracturing coming to North Carolinaโ€ (PDF), John Locke Foundation, August, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

For a contrasting viewpoint, you can read DeSmog’s own report on hydraulic fracturing titled โ€œFracking the Future.โ€

June 2014

The John Locke Foundation (JLF) released โ€œAgenda 2014,โ€ a โ€œpublic policy guide for candidates and voters.โ€ JLF has released its Agenda document every two years since 2006 to coincide with North Carolina’s races for the General Assembly.46โ€œAgenda 2014: A Candidate’s Guide to Key Issues in North Carolina Public Policy,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Accessed November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7mZfq

JLF’s Agenda 2014 includes a section on โ€œRenewable Energyโ€ that recommends that the Senate repeal Bill 3, โ€œthe overarching legislation that contains the renewable energy mandate or, at the very least, repeal that portion of the bill that contains the 12.5% renewable energy/energy efficiency mandate.โ€ The Renewable Energy section is edited by Roy Cordato, whose primary educational background is in music and economics.47โ€œAgenda 2014: Renewable Energy,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kbEr6

This isn’t the first time that JLF’s Agenda report has fought against renewable energy. Its 2010 report included a section on climate change concluding that โ€œThere is nothing North Carolina can do, either by itself or in conjunction with other states, that will have a noticeable or beneficial impact on the climate.โ€ Their 2010 report also offered the following recommendations to policy makers:48โ€œAgenda 2010: Climate Change,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/IMjQL

  1. Abandon all state attempts to fight global warming.
  2. Repeal already adopted legislation such as SB3, which is raising energy costs and reducing employment opportunities in the state, which is already suffering from one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

May 21โ€“23, 2012

The John Locke Foundation is listed as an official co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7).49โ€œCosponsors,โ€ 7th International Conference on Climate Change. Archived May 10, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/VAY3r

2010

The John Locke Foundation’s Daren Bakst, of their Research Division, gave a presentation to the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force at ALEC’s 2010 annual meeting. Bakst’s presentation was titled โ€œThe Limits of EPA Regulatory Power.โ€50โ€œJohn Locke Foundation,โ€ SourceWatch profile. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/5hFd2

May 16 – 18, 2010

The John Locke Foundation (JLF) was a co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s Fourth International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC4) in Chicago, IL.514th International Conference on Climate Change Conference Program (PDF), The Heartland Institute. Archived .pdf on file at Desmog.

DeSmog researched sponsors behind the conference hand found that 19 of 65 sponsors had received total of over $40 million in funding since 1985 from ExxonMobil, and/or Koch Industries family foundations, and/or the Scaife Family Foundations.52Brendan DeMelle. โ€œDenial-a-palooza Round 4: ‘International Conference on Climate Change’ Groups Funded by Exxon, Koch Industries,โ€ DeSmogBog, May 13, 2010.

March 8 – 9, 2009

The John Locke Foundation is listed as an official co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Second International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2).53โ€œCo-Sponsors,โ€ The 2009 International Conference on Climate Change. Archived April 28, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8pEf7

March, 2008

The John Locke Foundation was a co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute’s First International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC1) in New York.54The 2008 International Conference on Climate Change: Global Warming is not a crisis! (PDF), Archived July 25, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 55โ€œSponsorships,โ€ The 2008 International Conference on climate Change. Archived June 10, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/bxDic

September, 2007

The John Locke Foundation was behind an effort to combat the Center for Climate Strategies, a nonprofit group in Washington trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Institute for Southern Studies reports.

One of the Locke Institute’s criticisms is that the Center for Climate Strategies was founded by an โ€œenvironmental advocacy group.โ€ The Institute for Southern Studies writes that The Pennsylvania Environmental Council is actually โ€œa business-friendly organization [โ€ฆ] whose current directors include representatives from leading energy companies like PPL Corp., Inter-Power, Exelon and Reliant.โ€56Sue Sturgis. โ€œSPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the attack on state climate policy?โ€ The Institute for Southern Studies, November 13, 2007. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mgYtu

The JLF worked with the Heartland Institute to host a conference where it promised to expose the Center for Climate Strategies’s โ€œhijacking of climate policy.โ€57Sue Sturgis. โ€œSPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the attack on state climate policy?โ€ The Institute for Southern Studies, November 13, 2007. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mgYtu

The Sept. 12 conference call drew state legislators, policy analysts, and a lobbyist for Peabody Energy, the world’s largest coal company. The featured speaker was Michael Sanera, Locke’s research director and a member of an advisory board for the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow as well as a former analyst at the Heritage Foundation โ€” both funded by ExxonMobil.58Sue Sturgis. โ€œSPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the attack on state climate policy?โ€ The Institute for Southern Studies, November 13, 2007. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mgYtu

In October, the John Locke Foundation announced the launch of โ€œClimate Strategies Watch,โ€ โ€œa new watchdog Web site that scrutinizes and keeps up with new developments of the Center for Climate Strategies.โ€ It was also a joint project of the Heartland Institute and JLF. Climate Strategies Watch no longer appears to be in operation.59Sue Sturgis. โ€œSPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the attack on state climate policy?โ€ The Institute for Southern Studies, November 13, 2007. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mgYtu 60โ€œClimate Strategies Watch,โ€ climatestrategieswatch.com. Archived March 2, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/y5DGa 61โ€œWho is CCS?โ€ Climate Strategies Watch. Archived March 2, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xwtoc

July 2007

The John Locke Foundation released a report authored by Joel Schwartz of the American Enterprise Institute titled, โ€œA North Carolina Citizen’s Guide to Global Warming.โ€62โ€œPolicy Reports: A North Carolina Citizen’s Guide to Global Warming,โ€ John Locke Foundation website, July 25, 2007. Archived November 14, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/w0jEM

In the report (PDF), which recants many of the popular skeptical arguments regarding climate change, Schwartz claims that [Al] โ€œGore’s brand of over-the-top climate hysteria has nothing to do with reality,โ€ and that โ€œMost of the greenhouse effect is natural and is due to water vapor naturally in the atmosphere, as well as natural levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and a few other greenhouse gases.โ€63Joel Schwartz, โ€œPolicy Reports: A North Carolina Citizen’s Guide to Global Warmingโ€ (PDF), John Locke Foundation, July 2007. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

John Locke Foundation Contact & Location

The John Locke Foundation listed the following contact information in its website as of May, 2016:64โ€œContact Us,โ€ John Locke Foundation. Archived May 29, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/4TDKo

John Locke Foundation
200 West Morgan Street, Suite 200
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Phone: 919-828-3876
Fax: 919-821-5117

โ€œJLF Websites and Blogsโ€ include:

Social Media

Other Resources

Resources

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