Buy

Books
Click images for more details

Twitter
Support

 

Recent comments
Recent posts
Currently discussing
Links

A few sites I've stumbled across recently....

Powered by Squarespace
« The BBC on climate, circa 2007 | Main | French sceptics group launches »
Friday
Feb272015

More sauce

Another few hours and another FOI request. This time it's the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who are targeting correspondence of the hard-left senators who have been at the forefront of harassing sceptic scientists:

To EPA’s National Freedom of Information Officer,

On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), please consider this request pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552 et seq.

Please provide us, within twenty working days,1 copies of all email and text message correspondence over the past two years between certain EPA Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations employees and the offices of Senators Barbara Boxer, Ed Markey and/or Sheldon Whitehouse, which correspondence contains one or more keywords. as described herein.

Specifically, we seek email and text message correspondence on EPA-assigned or other accounts, and any attachments, that were

1) sent to or from...Laura Vaught, Joyce Frank, Nicole Distefano and/or Josh Lewis, and

2) sent to or from ...Sen. Boxer, Sen. Whitehouse, and/or Sen. Markey or anyone with a @EPW.senate.gov, @boxer.Senate.gov, @whitehouse.Senate.gov, and/or @markey.Senate.gov address or (e.g., in the case of text /SMS messages) otherwise to or from anyone who at the time worked in one of those offices, and

c) which communications are dated from January 1, 2013 through the date you process this  request, and which

d) is to or from or cites or refers to Tom Steyer, his climate advocacy group NextGen (this also includes but is not limited to any email among these parties that anywhere includes a  @nextgenclimate.org address), Fahr (including but limited to discussing Ted White or anywhere including twhite@fahrllc.com2), denier, denial or deniers, Climate Investigations Center, Greenpeace, Kert Davies, Energy Foundation, Center for American Progress, Sierra Club, and/or Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC...

That should set the cat among the pigeons.

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

Reader Comments (23)

There's that old saying "he who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones".

Their problem is that most of the alarmist side are in the public sector. So, there are just so many targets to hit. Quite right since public money is paying for those fabricating this scam. But they really are either gullible, stupid and/or so politically blinded that they really do think if they find any dirt on sceptics, there's not a 1000x more dirt on alarmists.

Feb 27, 2015 at 10:27 PM | Unregistered Commentermike Haseler

I wonder if they will use legal challenges to get this stuck in the mud until after Paris?

The climate wars become a flud minging competition.

Feb 27, 2015 at 10:32 PM | Unregistered CommenterGolf Charlie

It makes sense politically and it shows that it is no longer possible for the so-called "left" to rule by intimidation.

But it is more bad news for science.

Feb 28, 2015 at 12:22 AM | Unregistered CommenterBrute

Under US and UK FOIA laws, what percentage of delegates at the recent climate party in Lima could be asked to disclose their funding, and correspondence?

Share values in electronic data shredder companies may rise faster than global temeratures.

Global temperatures may fall if adjusted temperature records are shredded.

Feb 28, 2015 at 12:35 AM | Unregistered CommenterGolf Charlie

In years to come Grijalva, will be hailed as a hero, for destroying the Hockey Stick, the Hockey Team, the Hockey Team supporters, and the game of Hockey. It may take a few years, and there will be casualties

I never liked hockey. But did enjoy "The Hockey Stick Illusion"

Feb 28, 2015 at 12:52 AM | Unregistered CommenterGolf Charlie

Of course, anti fossil fuel campaigners wouldn't use money and non-scientific arguments to achieve their goals, would they?
From Bloomberg, no less:
Sharon Stone Is Being Sued for Skipping an Anti-Chevron Protest

"Stone, the star of such films as Basic Instinct, has been accused in a federal lawsuit in New York of failing to show up for paid anti-Chevron appearances in Ecuador. MCSquared, a U.S. public relations firm that's suing the actress and her talent agency for $352,000. MCSquared alleges that the actress didn't return a $275,000 fee paid to her via American Program Bureau, a speakers bureau in Boston."

Feb 28, 2015 at 1:28 AM | Unregistered Commentermichael hart

SPOCK: Lieutenant, I am half Vulcanian. Vulcanians do not speculate. I speak from pure logic.

SPOCK: "Climate Alarmists do not do logic. They speak from pure speculation. "

Feb 28, 2015 at 1:58 AM | Registered Commenterstewgreen

but then note the same self deception.
SPOCK : I speak from pure logic. If I let go of a hammer on a planet that has a positive gravity, I need not see it fall to know that it has in fact fallen.

ALARMIST : I speak from pure logic. If I let go of masses of CO2 on a planet that has Earth like atmosphere, I need not bother doing proper observations to know that the temperature is in fact rising worryingly.

- Hang on Spock yes anything that is denser than local atmosphere will fall.
However the self deception is that it is perfectly possible for a hammer to be an inflatable one filled with helium
- or be a plastic hammer where the atmosphere is a denser fluid like water.
.... The problem is too much assumption. One should consider the entire complex context.

Feb 28, 2015 at 2:08 AM | Registered Commenterstewgreen

Oops.

Mark

Feb 28, 2015 at 2:26 AM | Unregistered CommenterMark T

Michael hart;
I am astounded that the hollywood set is sometimes paid for the appearance of advocacy. Is nothing sacred?

Perhaps they are not the ninnies we always suspected.

Feb 28, 2015 at 3:50 AM | Registered Commenterjferguson

It is, as they say, worse than we thought, jferguson.
Mark

Feb 28, 2015 at 4:21 AM | Unregistered CommenterMark T

FOI requests are only valid if they are about topics that support cliamte alarmism.

Feb 28, 2015 at 5:01 AM | Unregistered Commenterhunter

They need to also look for emails between Gavin Schmidt, Phil Jones and sundry parties, and also payments received apart from their base salary.

Feb 28, 2015 at 6:43 AM | Unregistered Commenterthe Griss

Hi from Oz. jferguson - au contraire, I am NOT surprised that advocacy (aka AGW activist) groups PAY entertainers to "perform" advocacy - as do many companies who advertise anything pay those same performers (and sports stars, etc.) to promote their products. Its just that the gullible public is made to think that these entertainers, etc. are NOT paid to promote AGW (which is just another product like toothpaste or pimple cream, but far less useful). I ask: should the ads / articles / presentations in which they appear be required to show a disclaimer like "The entertainer / sports person used (!) in this ad / article / presentation was paid for their appearance." Maybe a legally qualified reader would like to comment.

Feb 28, 2015 at 7:17 AM | Unregistered CommenterBoyfromTottenham

I guess snail mail will be back in favour soon then.

Feb 28, 2015 at 7:33 AM | Unregistered CommenterMartyn

Seems like FOIA requests are almost always a waste of time. The agencies have no problem exempting anything interesting and dumping a huge amount of mostly useless data for the requester to sort through.

Feb 28, 2015 at 2:51 PM | Unregistered CommenterBloke in Central Illinois

"the hard-left senators"

LOL, This is the USA right?

Feb 28, 2015 at 5:15 PM | Unregistered CommenterJeff Norman

@Michael Hart

If you have money in Scottish Widows plc, you are in bed with Sharon Stone.....errr, let me rephrase that. You were/are in line to benefit from Steven Donziger's $19 billion racketeering project via their investment in the "litigation financing" industry.

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/06/29/are-you-funding-ecuadors-corrupt-litigation-against-chevron/

Part of the Donziger legal plot was producing the Hollywood movie "Crude". Ironically, outtakes in which Donziger openly discusses his own corruption, were a significant part in sinking him.

http://www.pointoflaw.com/archives/2010/08/crude-outtakes.php

Curiously, this story has had little traction in the US press, even though it took down Patton Boggs, a premier Washington law firm. Forbes magazine has had the most interest.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2013/11/22/chevron-uses-thermonuclear-device-of-rico-against-donziger/

Feb 28, 2015 at 6:31 PM | Unregistered Commenterbetapug

Golf Charlie @ Feb 27, 2015 at 10:32 PM "I wonder if they will use legal challenges to get this stuck in the mud until after Paris?"

They'll first simply refuse. The next step would be a court action. It will be a long, long process For comparison, review the IRS emails and the Judicial Watch suit to obtain FOI information. Oh, and note the US Federal Courts have been stuffed with Left folks for some time. All the senators named will either be retired or dead by the time the issue is resolved.

Mar 1, 2015 at 11:56 AM | Unregistered Commentercedarhill

Jeff Norman - "the hard-left senators" LOL, This is the USA right?

Surprisingly, there is a significant number of "hard left" politicians in the US, not least of which is Rep. Grijalva, http://keywiki.org/Ra%C3%BAl_Grijalva

"He is a co-chair on the Congressional Progressive Caucus, (CPC), http://keywiki.org/Congressional_Progressive_Caucus, which was founded in 1991 by Bernie Sanders-the openly socialist then Congressman from Vermont, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the radical Washington DC based "think tank" Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).

Many members were and continue to be linked to DSA and/or the Communist Party USA, IPS or other radical organizations.

From small beginnings the CPC has grown to embrace more than 80 members of Congress and three in the Senate - Roland Burris, Bernie Sanders and Tom Udall."

"Carol Browner, former Environmental Protection Agency head under Bill Clinton, was a Vice-President of Socialist International and a member of the Socialist International “Commission for a Sustainable World Society”.

In a video address to the Party of European Socialists, (PES) on Dec 8th 2009, as Copenhagen was about to get under way, Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee at the time, had this to say, to his “Dear Colleagues”:

He called for a strong center left and noted the regular contact between democrats and PES over the previous three and a half years, at congress, senate and party level. He recalled his visit with Bill Clinton to the Global Progressive Forum in Brussels earlier in 2009 and US and EU progressives sharing a long-term global vision and seeking a global new deal.

He spoke of the need for a Low Carbon economy, large investment in “green” technology, social justice and “differentiated responsibilities “for developing and developed nations. The PES member parties are themselves members of the Socialist International."

More here: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/originals/un_progress_governance_via_climate_change.html

Mar 1, 2015 at 2:35 PM | Registered Commenterdennisa

Dennisa, you must be an American (of the U.S. variety).

Mar 3, 2015 at 1:43 PM | Unregistered CommenterJeff Norman

They did notice Exemption 5: Internal Government Communications?

"The purpose of the fifth exemption is to safeguard the deliberative policymaking process of government. The exemption encourages frank discussion of policy matters between agency officials by allowing supporting documents to be withheld from public disclosure. The exemption also protects against premature disclosure of policies before final adoption."

Mar 4, 2015 at 4:38 AM | Unregistered CommenterEli Rabett

FWIW the Congress and Congressional deliberations are also exempt from FOI

Mar 5, 2015 at 7:23 PM | Unregistered CommenterEli Rabett

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>