Beacon Hill Institute

Beacon Hill Institute (BHI)

Background

The Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy Research (BHI) started as the research arm of the Department of Economics at Suffolk University in Boston originally founded in 1991 by the Republican politician Ray Shamie.1Biography of Ray Shamie,” NewsLink, Vol. 3, No. 4, Summer 1999. Published by the Beacon Hill Institute. Archived October 9, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5n25G According to their website, the Beacon Hill Institute “specializes in the development of state-of-the-art economic and statistical models for policy analysis.”2 History,” The Beacon Hill Institute. Archived October 9, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/N50LS

In December 2015, after a policy was put in place that restricted BHI’s fundraising activities, the Beacon Hill Institute announced it would be severing ties with Suffolk University by the end of 2016.3 Lindsay Kalter. “Director: Beacon Hill Institute to sever ties to Suffolk University,” Boston Herald, December 1, 2015. Archived December 2, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VG1ne

The Beacon Hill Institute’s mission is as follows:

“The Beacon Hill Institute engages in rigorous economic research and conducts educational programs for the purpose of producing and disseminating readable analyses of current public policy issues to voters, taxpayers, opinion leaders and policy makers.”4 Mission and Vision,” The Beacon Hill Institute, October 9, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/WriRq

The Beacon Hill Institute has worked with the State Policy Network to release and disseminate policy studies opposing legislation that would limit greenhouse gas emissions including the Clean Power Plan, as well as renewable energy standards across the United States.5 Denise Robbins ”A Web Of Climate Deception: The Beacon Hill Institute, Richard Berman, And The State Policy Network,” Media Matters for America, April 13, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/etg7z

BHI has received funding from various conservative foundations such as the Castle Rock Foundation (funded by Coors), and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.  David G. Tuerck, Executive Director of the Beacon Hill Institute, is the former director of the Center for Research and Advertising at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a group that has received more than $3.5 million for ExxonMobil.

Stance on Climate Change

The following is from a joint “Peer Review” (PDF) made by the Beacon Hill Institute and the Montana Policy Institute

“The debate isn’t over. Honest people still do disagree about the causes and consequences of climate change. For this reason, policy recommendations that rely upon debatable assumptions and flawed economic principles as a basis for drawing further conclusions deserve special scrutiny.”6 Benjamin Powell. “Continuing the Debate: Challenging the Economics of Montana’s Climate Change Action Plan” (PDF), The Beacon Hill Institute, March, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The following is taken from a document (PDF) jointly published by the Beacon Hill Institute and the James Madison Institute:

“The national debate on climate change has been marked by vehement disagreement between those who believe that global warming is a severe problem requiring urgent solutions and skeptics who argue that the scientific evidence on climate change remains inconclusive. Only the passage of time and the collection of additional data will settle the issue.”7 Paul Bachman. “Phase II of Florida’s Plan for Energy and Climate Change: Avoiding the Mistakes Made by Others” (PDF), The James Madison Institute, Backgrounder Number 57 (September, 2008). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

“The only way to slow global warming is to allow entrepreneurs to create more energy-efficient products and technologies. As the demand for these products grows, entrepreneurs will naturally react to market forces and direct their energies to producing more energy-efficient products at a cheaper cost. Government intervention is not the solution to this problem, the free market is.”8Solution lies in the free market system,” The Boston Globe, August 8, 2008. Archived October 10, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/kJfbJ

Funding

The following funding is based on data compiled by the Conservative Transparency project. Note that not all funding values have been verified by DeSmog.9Beacon Hill Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved July 5, 2016.

View attached spreadsheet for additional information on Beacon Hill Institute & Suffolk University funding by year (.xlsx).

DonorTotal
The Roe Foundation$207,500
Searle Freedom Trust$162,975
Donors Capital Fund$140,000
State Policy Network$117,000
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation$113,240
Castle Rock Foundation$60,000
Americans for Tax Reform Foundation$25,250
DonorsTrust$250
Grand Total$826,215

Suffolk University Funding

According to Conservative Transparency (based on publicly-available 990 tax records), The Suffolk University has received over $1M in funding from the Charles G. Koch Foundation. It is reasonable to deduce that some of this funding may have gone to the Beacon Hill Institute.10 Suffolk Univesity,” Conservative Transparency. Data retrieved July 5, 2016.

YearCharles G. Koch Charitable FoundationJM FoundationGrand Total
2000 $15,000$15,000
2004 $20,000$20,000
2007$375,198 $375,198
2008$97,236 $97,236
2009$136,771 $136,771
2010$209,697 $209,697
2011$110,692 $110,692
2012$44,734 $44,734
2013$17,000 $17,000
2014$5,000 $5,000
2015$9,000 $9,000
Grand Total$1,005,328$35,000$1,040,328

990 Forms

Key People

View key people by year below, or view the attached spreadsheet for a full list of Beacon Hill Institute’s key people (.xlsx) including sources.

Actions

January 2021

The Beacon Hill Institute authored a report on behalf of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity criticizing a regional plan to cut transportation emissions, reported local paper The Providence Journal.11Conservative group criticizes transportation climate plan,” The Providence Journal, January 26, 2021. Archived March 31, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/gmphc

The report argued “emissions reductions achieved by the carbon tax proposed in 2019 would have been infinitesimal while costing Rhode Island $426 million in losses to gross domestic product and 1,856 jobs.”12Conservative group criticizes transportation climate plan,” The Providence Journal, January 26, 2021. Archived March 31, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/gmphc

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity, described as “one of the younger think tanks in the State Policy Network” by its CEO Mike Stenhouse, “has often relied on the research and perspectives of David Tuerck and the Beacon Hill Institute” according to a BHI endorsement by Stenhouse.13Endorsements,” The Beacon Hill Institute. Archived March 31, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/cg3DI

The report, titled “The Effects of a TCIStyle Gas Tax on Motor Fuels in Rhode Island,” was written by BHI’s David G. Tuerck and William F. Burke, BHI’s Director of Research.14David G. Tuerck and William F. Burke. “The Effects of a TCIStyle Gas Tax on Motor Fuels in Rhode Island” (PDF)The Beacon Hill Institute & Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity. January 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

July 30, 2020

BHI’s executive director David Tuerck wrote an article at CommonWealth Magazine criticizing the lawsuit that Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey had brought against ExxonMobil.15David G. Tuerk. “Healey’s kitchen-sink Exxon-Mobil lawsuit,” Commonwealth, July 30, 2020. Archived August 17, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/3Ncv6 The lawsuit accuses Exxon “for deceptive advertising to Massachusetts consumers and for misleading Massachusetts investors about the risks to Exxon’s business posed by fossil fuel-driven climate change—including systemic financial risk.” 16Attorney General’s Office Lawsuit Against ExxonMobil,” Mass.gov. Archived August 17, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/OqeWX

A revision of the lawsuit highlighted how the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic “are a harbinger of the types of systemic risks posed by climate change, demonstrating the sweeping and interconnected nature of climate-driven dangers and disruptions, such as the widespread economic harms of sudden global market disruptions, supply chain interruptions, and health care system failures.”

According to Tuerck, “The conflation of the coronavirus and climate crisis, both misleading and far-fetched, leads to an inescapable conclusion: Healey’s climate change litigation is based solely on belief.”

“There simply is absolutely no compelling proof that ExxonMobil faces any immediate or even long-term prospects of declining sales as a result of climate change,” Tuerk also claimed.

Kert Davies, director of the Climate Investigations Center, responded to Tuerck’s op-ed. He responded to Tuerck’s above argument, noting that “While demonstrably false in so many ways, this statement proves Tuerck is stuck in some bygone decade of denial and suggests he has neither read the Massachusetts complaint, nor the internal Exxon documents from the 1970s and ‘80s cited in the complaint, which can be read and downloaded at ClimateFiles.com.  These documents show Exxon’s staff scientists modeling and anticipating how fossil fuel consumption would have to be curtailed to avoid dangerous climate change.  They knew regulations were coming.”17Tuerck’s critique of Healey fits a pattern,” CommonWealth, August 6, 2020. Archived August 17, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/VPAml

June 2016

The Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) was among organizations named in a Massachusetts subpoena looking for communications between ExxonMobil and organizations denying climate change, reports The Washington Times.18 Valerie Richardson. “Exxon fights Mass. AG’s ‘political’ probe into climate change dissent,” The Washington Times, June 15, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/GepbJ

Organizations named in the Massachusetts subpoena include the following:19 Valerie Richardson. “Exxon fights Mass. AG’s ‘political’ probe into climate change dissent,” The Washington Times, June 15, 2016. Archived June 24, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/GepbJ

This latest inquiry by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is one in a series of investigations into what ExxonMobil knew about climate change and when, started by a coalition of attorneys general in the US.20 Ben Jervey. “State Investigations Into What Exxon Knew Double, and Exxon Gets Defensive,” DeSmog, April 1, 2016.

December 2015

After a policy was put in place that restricted BHI’s fundraising activities, Executive Director David Tuerck announced that the Beacon Hill Institute would be severing ties with Suffolk University by the end of 2016.21 Lindsay Kalter. “Director: Beacon Hill Institute to sever ties to Suffolk University,” Boston Herald, December 1, 2015. Archived December 2, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VG1ne

“I’m going to recruit a board and engage in fundraising so we can establish ourselves as a freestanding institution,” Tuerck said. He also said that the Koch Foundation is among those he will approach for funding to set up the independent institute.22 Lindsay Kalter. “Director: Beacon Hill Institute to sever ties to Suffolk University,” Boston Herald, December 1, 2015. Archived December 2, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VG1ne

The Beacon Hill Institute had long been the target of the student activist group “UnKoch My  Campus” due to the institute’s finding from the Koch Brothers, however Tuerck said he was unsure if the group had played a role.

“I know the UnKoch My Campus strategy is to attack the quality of the Beacon Hill Institute work to the end of getting the university to (refuse to) accept any more Koch funding,” but, he said, “It’s such a phony attack that I’d be surprised if it motivated the head of the university.”23 Lindsay Kalter. “Director: Beacon Hill Institute to sever ties to Suffolk University,” Boston Herald, December 1, 2015. Archived December 2, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/VG1ne

January–March, 2015

The Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) published a “Cost-Benefit Analysis” of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) arguing that CPP would cause huge increases in electricity rates, InsideClimate News reports.24 Naveena Sadasivam. “Koch-Supported Group Offers Skewed Argument Against Clean Power Plan,” InsideClimate News, April 16, 2015. Archived October 11, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5wwTj

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s staff blog was also critical of the Beacon Hill Institute study,25Laurie Johnson. “Beacon Hill Study: Bizarre algebra, crazy assumptions, and the wrong policy,” Switchboard (Natural Resources Defense Council Blog), February 24, 2015. Archive URL: Archive URL: https://archive.ph/j7M21 and pointed to the fossil fuel funding behind the report.26Aliya Haq. “Dr. Evil and polluters exposed (again) in attacks on Clean Power Plan,” Switchboard (Natural Resources Defence Council Staff Blog), February 24, 2015. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Ee5ky The Guardian reports that the Beacon Hill Institute study was funded by the Employment Policies Institute, a tax-exempt group headed by a industry strategist/lobbyist named Richard Berman (Also behind campaigns against the Humane Society and Mothers against Drunk Driving).27 Suzanne Goldenberg. “Lobbyist dubbed Dr Evil behind front groups attacking Obama power rules,” The Guardian, February 23, 2015. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Ee5ky

The reports were published in a number of Op-Eds and cited by a member of Congress. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists

the analysis “artificially inflates the costs of the Clean Power Plan nationally and in a number of states, while failing to include most of the benefits projected by the EPA in its regulatory impact analysis.”28Beacon Hill Institute Study on Clean Power Plan,” Union of Concerned Scientists, March 12, 2015. Archived October 11, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3zGFy

Between January and March, 2015, The Beacon Hill Institute published a series of policy studies (by state) criticizing the Clean Power Plan:

Media Matters reports that the Beacon Hill Institute and State Policy Network (SPN) worked together to distribute the studies through an Op-Ed campaign across the U.S.29 Denise Robbins ”A Web Of Climate Deception: The Beacon Hill Institute, Richard Berman, And The State Policy Network,” Media Matters for America, April 13, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/etg7z

December 2013

The Guardian reports that Beacon Hill Institute sought $38,825 in funding to perform an economic analysis with the express purpose of weakening the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.30 Suzanne Goldenberg. “Free-market research group’s climate proposal denounced by host university,” The Guardian, December 5, 2013. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/X27Fj

“Success will take the form of media recognition, dissemination to stakeholders, and legislative activity that will pare back or repeal RGGI,” the funding proposal said.31 Suzanne Goldenberg. “Free-market research group’s climate proposal denounced by host university,” The Guardian, December 5, 2013. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/X27Fj

The State Policy Network went to Searle Freedom Trust, a leading funder of conservative causes, on the BHI’s behalf in search of the funding. Suffolk University claimed it had not been consulted about the research plans, and would not have authorized the grant if it had been.32 Suzanne Goldenberg. “Free-market research group’s climate proposal denounced by host university,” The Guardian, December 5, 2013. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/X27Fj

“The stated research goals, as written, were inconsistent with Suffolk University’s mission,” Greg Gatlin, the university’s vice-president for marketing and communications, said in an email.33 Suzanne Goldenberg. “Free-market research group’s climate proposal denounced by host university,” The Guardian, December 5, 2013. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/X27Fj

Gatlin also wrote that the Beacon Hill Institute failed to follow university protocol for its grant proposal: 

“The University has existing protocols in place that require approval for all grant proposals,” Gatlin said. “The Beacon Hill Institute’s grant proposal did not go through the university’s approval process. The university would not have authorized this grant proposal as written.” 34 Suzanne Goldenberg. “Free-market research group’s climate proposal denounced by host university,” The Guardian, December 5, 2013. Archived October 12, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/X27Fj

September 21, 2012

The Beacon Hill Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy co-released a study that worked to stall Michigan’s Proposal 3 which proposes to increase the state’s use of renewable energy sources including wind and solar 25% by 2025.35Fact Check: Koch-Funded Group Misleads Michigan Voters on Clean Energy,” The Equation (Union of Concerned Scientists Blog), October 5, 2012. Archived October 10, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7SOvX The study, titled “The Projected Economic Impact of Proposal 3 and Michigan’s Renewable Energy Standard” (PDF), was authored by Beacon Hill Executive Director David Tuerck, Paul Bachman, and Michael Head. 36 David G. Tuerck, Paul Bachman and Michael Head. “The Projected Economic Impact of Proposal 3 and Michigan’s Renewable Energy Standard” (PDF), Mackinack Center for Public Policy Brief S2012-07, Sept. 21, 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The study was commissioned by the American Tradition Institute (ATI), a group associated with the State Policy Network (SPN). The Mackinac Center, ATI and the State Policy Network have all received funding from Koch sources. According to Jeff Deyette, senior energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Beacon hill analysts:37Elliott Negin. “Koch Brothers Fund Bogus Studies to Kill Renewable Energy,” Huffington Post, December 7, 2012. Archived October 11, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pjkDo

  • Excluded the cost cap, a key component of the policy;
  • Ignored the fact that the state already has a standard in place, enabling them to inflate the costs of implementing the stronger standard;
  • Made assumptions about renewable energy technologies, often citing out-of-date, controversial or unsubstantiated material to support their assertions instead of using real-world cost and performance data from local projects; 
  • And failed to factor in the new standard’s benefits, including economic development, job growth, cleaner air and reduced carbon pollution.

Beacon Hill Institute research economist Michael Head admitted to the Washington Post that he had excluded the cost caps in their analysis:

“We just left it out so we could provide the actual analysis of the policy itself,” Head said, adding that the central question is not whether renewable energy costs more but “the matter of degree. You’re certainly going to have these higher electricity prices. They will have profound negative consequences for the states’ economies.”38 Climate skeptic group works to reverse renewable energy mandates,” The Washington Post, November 24, 2012. Archived June 14, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wKp5R

Head also admitted that the studies had been behind the funding for the studies, although he said that “Koch certainly has not had the only role in funding these studies” – this suggests that other anonymous donors were also involved.

May 21–23, 2012

The Beacon Hill Institute was an official Co-sponsor (PDF) of the Heartland Institute‘s Seventh International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC7).39 “Seventh International Conference on Climate Change: Sponsored by the Heartland Institute” (PDF), the Heartland Institute. Archived August 15, 2015.

DeSmog researched co-sponsors behind the conference and discovered that they had received a total of over $67 Million from ExxonMobil, Koch, and Scaife family foundations.40A Closer Look at Heartland’s ICCC7 Denial-a-Palooza Speakers and Sponsors,” DeSmog, May 23, 2012. 

June 2, 2009

The Beacon  Hill Institute was a co-sponsor of the Heartland Institute‘s Third International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC3) in Washington, DC.41 Co-Sponsors,” Third International Conference on Climate Change. Archived July 14, 2010.

September 2008

The Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) conducted a “Peer Review” (PDF) of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change Climate Action Plan (MCCC). According to the Beacon Hill Institute, the MCCC’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) report is “unsuitable for making any informed policy decisions.”42 “Peer Review: Maryland Commission on Climate Change Climate Action Plan” (PDF), The Beacon Hill Institute, September, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

August 2008

The Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) published a “Policy Study” (PDF) critical of regulations proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in South Carolina. According to BHI, “the proposals would exert significant negative effects on the state economy.”43“The Economics of Climate Change Proposals in South Carolina: A Preliminary Look” (PDF), The Beacon Hill Institute, August, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“Because South Carolina’s GHG emissions are so small relative to the rest of the world’s emissions, it is quite apparent that no policy adopted by South Carolina would have any discernible impact on global climate change and thus no measurable economic benefit,” the study reads.44“The Economics of Climate Change Proposals in South Carolina: A Preliminary Look” (PDF), The Beacon Hill Institute, August, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

March 2008

The Beacon Hill Institute published a joint “Peer Review” (PDF) with the Montana Policy Institute of Montana’s Climate Change Action plan. According to their study, “Because Montana’s GHG emissions are so small relative to the rest of the world’s emissions, it is quite possible that, even if there are large social costs associated with GHG emissions, no policy adopted by Montana would have any discernible impact on global climate change.”45 Benjamin Powell. “Continuing the Debate: Challenging the Economics of Montana’s Climate Change Action Plan” (PDF), The Beacon Hill Institute, March, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

January 2008

The John Locke Foundation (JLF) commissioned a “peer review” (PDF) by the Beacon Hill Institute of a report by the North Carolina Climate Action Plan Advisory Group (NC-CAPAG) and an accompanying jobs analysis from Appalachian State University.46Unlocking One Think Tank’s Oily Secrets,” PR Watch, November 15, 2007. Archived June 14, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/AoAhn 47 David G. Tuerck et al. “The Economics of Climate Change Legislation in North Carolina” (PDF), The Beacon Hill Institute, April, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

According to the John Locke Foundation’s press release, “The peer review raises red flags about the model’s projections.” JLF’s Vice President for Research, Roy Cordato, said that “Trained economists conducting this new peer review found that the model is so flawed that no one should trust the results.” 48Press Releases: N.C. energy policy model ‘not credible’,” John Locke Foundation, January 9, 2008. Archived October 9, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/vjK1x

DeSmog speculated that the peer-review may not have been reliable, given that it was done entirely within the Beacon Hill Institute and without outside input.49 Mitchell Anderson. “Phony “Peer Review Tries to Undermine Climate Action in North Carolina,” DeSmog, January 17, 2008.

Beacon Hill Institute Contact & Location

As of June 2016, the Beacon Hill Institute listed the following contact information on its website:50Contact Information,” The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University. Archived June 13, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/D6fY4

Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University
8 Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
Telephone: 617-573-8750
Fax: 617-994-4279

Physical Location:
73 Tremont Street 
10th Floor
Boston, MA 02108

Beacon Hill lists the following clients on their website:51Clients,” The Beacon Hill Institute. Archived October 11, 2015. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/oK3S1

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