The Hudson Institute
Background
The Hudson Institute (HI) was founded in 1961 by strategist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the Rand Corporation. Founded at the height of the Cold War, the Institute started with a focus on defense, nuclear power, and strategy. Since 9/11, the institute has changed focus to the terrorism and has strongly advocated for the Iraq War.1“Hudson Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Accessed April 20, 2016.
Herman Kahn’s notable contribution was his book, “On Thermonuclear War,” published in 1960, about the consequences of a thermonuclear war. According to the New York Times, “an editor at Scientific American magazine denounced [the book] as ‘a moral tract on mass murder: how to plan it, how to commit it, how to get away with it, how to justify it.’”2Joseph B. Treaster. “Herman Kahn Dies; Futurist and Thinker on Nuclear Strategy,” The New York Times, July 8, 1983. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7YMVZ The character Dr. Strangelove, according to the New Yorker, is “an only slightly parodic version of Kahn.”3Louis Menand. “Fat Man,” The New Yorker, June 27, 2005. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kNr8F
According to their website, the Hudson Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization “financed by tax deductible contributions from private individuals, corporations, foundations, and by government grants.” They describe themselves as “An independent research organization promoting new ideas for the advancement of global security, prosperity and freedom.”4“An independent research organization promoting new ideas for the advancement of global security, prosperity and freedom,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/WcMJ0
Hudson seeks to “guide public policy makers and global leaders in government and business through a vigorous program of publications, conferences, policy briefings, and recommendations.”
Originally founded in Croton-on-Hudson, the Hudson Institute moved its headquarters to Indianapolis in 1984 after the death of Herman Kahn. On June 1, 2004 Hudson Institute moved its operations to Washington, D.C., “in an effort to focus its research on foreign policy and national security issues.”5“History,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xB7ll
The Guardian names the Hudson Institute in their 2015 report, “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups $125m over three years,” as one of the top recipients of funding from two secretive organizations — Donors Trust, and Donors Capital Fund — having taken in $7.9 million over three years.6Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups 5m over three years,” The Guardian, June 9, 2015. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KqMx1
According to The Guardian, this money helped to “build a network of thinktanks and activist groups. These worked to defeat climate bills in Congress and are mobilising against Environmental Protection Agency rules to reduce carbon pollution from power plants which are due to be finalised this summer.”7Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups 5m over three years,” The Guardian, June 9, 2015. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KqMx1
Center for Global Food Issues (Now Defunct)
One of the Hudson Institute’s projects is the Center for Global Food Issues (CGFI), directed by climate change skeptic Dennis T. Avery. While the Center describes its purview as “research and analysis of agriculture and the environmental concerns surrounding food and fiber production,” Avery has also used its website as a platform to discuss global warming issues. CGFI.org no longer appears to be in operation and it is excluded from the Internet Archive.8“SCIENCE RECOMMENDS CLIMATE MODEL RE-START, BY DENNIS. T. AVERY,” Centre for Global Food Issues, July 8, 2014. Archived with WebCite September 25, 2015. 9“About CGFI,” Centre for Global Food Issues. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/81rWG
Stance on Climate Change
Hudson Institute scholars have put forward Geoengineering as a solution to climate change, something that has been described as a “dangerous solution” by some.10Rachel Smoker. “Geoengineering Is a Dangerous Solution to Climate Change,” Huffington Post, March 22, 2014. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lP69m 11Clive Hamilton. “The Risks of Climate Engineering,” The New York Times. Archived September 26, 2015. February 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LtryI
2014
Dennis T. Avery, Director of the Center for Global Food Issues, contends that global cooling should be more feared than global warming, and that increased CO2 will increase crop yields:12Dennis T. Avery. “Carbon Dioxide Won’t Cause Famines,” Hudson Institute, June 2, 2014. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/BMLn7
“There is no visible reason to expect famines today due to carbon dioxide, which improves plant growth for crops, forests, grasslands and algae, as atmospheric CO2 levels increase.
The danger is the cold, chaotic weather of the “little ice ages” themselves. That will shrink agricultural zones and shorten growing seasons.”
“Our crop yields are also rising because of another surprising factor: more atmospheric carbon dioxide. This trace gas (400 ppm or 0.04% of Earth’s atmosphere) acts like fertilizer for plants, and thus for the animals and people who depend on them. Studies show that doubling CO2 in the air will boost the growth of herbaceous plants by about 30% to 35%; trees will benefit even more.”
“Misguided opposition to biotechnology, fossil fuels and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide could very well condemn millions of people to malnutrition and starvation, and numerous wildlife species to extinction.”
2011
“Climate change does pose some risks; yet those risks do not imply that massive social engineering for GHG control is either possible or desirable. Only when an awareness of this reality sinks in among public intellectuals is a more serious policy discourse likely to emerge.” — Lee Lane, Hudson Institute Scholar 13Lee Lane. “History, Ideology, and U.S. Climate Policy: Beyond the Orthodoxies of Left and Right” (PDF), The Hudson Institute, December, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Funding
The following is a combination of data archived by the Conservative Transparency Project plus original research of public 990 tax forms. Note that not all funding values have been verified by DeSmog.14“Hudson Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Accessed April 20, 2016.
View the attached spreadsheet for additional information on the Hudson Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx).
| Donor | Total |
| The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation | $15,757,690 |
| Donors Capital Fund | $10,955,000 |
| Smith Richardson Foundation | $8,691,057 |
| Hertog Foundation | $5,729,463 |
| Sarah Scaife Foundation | $5,363,000 |
| John M. Olin Foundation | $3,034,840 |
| William H. Donner Foundation | $1,520,669 |
| Searle Freedom Trust | $1,205,000 |
| PhRMA | $1,145,495 |
| John Templeton Foundation | $1,001,233 |
| The Carthage Foundation | $875,000 |
| Pew Charitable Trusts | $680,000 |
| The Marcus Foundation | $620,000 |
| Abstraction Fund | $477,325 |
| National Philanthropic Trust | $425,000 |
| DonorsTrust | $419,000 |
| Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis | $399,500 |
| Fairbrook Foundation | $390,000 |
| F.M. Kirby Foundation | $375,000 |
| The Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation | $365,000 |
| Sweetfeet Foundation | $360,000 |
| Schwab Charitable Fund | $301,000 |
| Newton D. & Rochelle F. Becker Foundation | $285,000 |
| National Christian Charitable Foundation | $249,000 |
| Earhart Foundation | $236,783 |
| Scaife Family Foundation | $221,000 |
| Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld Foundation | $200,000 |
| Newton and Rochelle Becker Family Foundation | $190,000 |
| Stuart Family Foundation | $175,000 |
| Walton Family Foundation | $150,000 |
| Castle Rock Foundation | $145,000 |
| William E. Simon Foundation | $86,000 |
| JM Foundation | $75,000 |
| Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable Trust | $70,000 |
| Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation | $69,000 |
| The Randolph Foundation | $67,000 |
| Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation | $62,650 |
| Jewish Community Fund | $52,680 |
| Diana Davis Spencer Foundation | $50,000 |
| Alan and Hope Winters Family Foundation | $40,000 |
| Brady Education Foundation | $40,000 |
| Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust | $35,000 |
| Adolph Coors Foundation | $30,000 |
| Philip M McKenna Foundation | $30,000 |
| The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation | $25,000 |
| Exxon Mobil | $25,000 |
| David H. Koch Charitable Foundation | $20,000 |
| Armstrong Foundation | $15,000 |
| Gilder Foundation | $10,000 |
| Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation | $10,000 |
| Milstein Family Foundation | $10,000 |
| Peterson G Peterson Foundation | $9,000 |
| Bradley Impact Fund | $7,000 |
| Jaquelin Hume Foundation | $5,000 |
| Thomas B. Fordham Foundation | $2,000 |
| Neal and Jane Freeman Foundation | $1,000 |
| Grand Total | $62,788,385 |
ExxonMobil Funding
According to Greenpeace’s ExxonSecrets, the Hudson Institute has received $25,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.15ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Hudson Institute. Accessed March 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mSL93
Koch Funding
According to data compiled by Greenpeace USA, the Hudson Institute received $82,650 from Koch foundations between 2000 and 2012. See additional data via research at DeSmog below:16“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/au7P4
| Year | Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation | David H. Koch Charitable Foundation | Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation | Grand Total |
| 2000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||
| 2001 | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||
| 2002 | $12,650 | $12,650 | ||
| 2011 | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||
| 2012 | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||
| 2018 | $69,000 | $69,000 | ||
| Grand Total | $62,650 | $20,000 | $151,650 |
990 Tax Forms
Key People
View key people by year below, or view the attached spreadsheet for a full list of the Hudson Institute’s key People (.xlsx) including sources.
Leadership
| Name | 201517“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK | 201618“Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dgeNT | Description |
| Brian Blake | Y | Senior Fellow and Director, Corporate Relations | |
| Daniel McKivergan | Y | Y | Vice President, Government Relations |
| David Tell | Y | Y | Senior Fellow and Director, Public Affairs & Special Projects |
| Joel Scanlon | Y | Y | Director of Studies |
| John P. Walters | Y | Y | Chief Operating Officer |
| Kenneth R. Weinstein | Y | Y | President and CEO |
| Lewis Libby | Y | Y | Senior Vice President |
| Matthew Hunter | Y | Corporate Secretary and Special Advisor to the President and CEO | |
| Nicholas Mackey | Y | Y | Director of Operations |
| Thereza Austria | Y | Director of Finance | |
| William J. Luti | Y | Y | Vice President, Strategic Implementation |
Board of Trustees
| Name | 201519“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK | 201620“Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dgeNT | Description |
| Allan R. Tessler | Y | Board Member, Chairman Emeritus | |
| Marie-Josée Kravis | Y | Y | Board Member, Vice Chair, and Senior Fellow |
| Sarah May Stern | Y | Y | Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Board Member |
| Walter P. Stern | Y | Y | Board Member, Chairman Emeritus |
Trustees
| Name | 201521“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK | 201622“Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dgeNT | Description |
| Allan R. Tessler | Y | Y | |
| Curtin Winsor, Jr. | Y | ||
| Deborah Kahn Cunningham | Y | Y | |
| Jack David | Y | Y | |
| Jeffrey L. Berenson | Y | Y | |
| Kenneth R. Weinstein | Y | Y | President and CEO |
| Laurence C. Leeds, Jr. | Y | Y | |
| Linden S. Blue | Y | Y | |
| Margaret Whitehead | Y | Y | |
| Marie-Josée Kravis | Y | Y | Board Member, Vice Chair, and Senior Fellow |
| Max Singer | Y | Y | |
| Mitch Daniels | Y | Y | |
| Robert DuPuy | Y | Y | |
| Russell Pennoyer | Y | Y | |
| Sarah May Stern | Y | Y | Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Board Member |
| Thomas C. Barry | Y | Y | |
| Walter P. Stern | Y | Y | Board Member, Chairman Emeritus |
| William Schweitzer | Y | ||
| Yoji Ohashi | Y | Y |
Senior Fellows
| Name | 201523“Experts,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fbE6p | 2016 | Description |
| Abram N. Shulsky | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Andrew Natsios | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Arthur Herman | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Brian Blake | Y | Senior Fellow and Director, Corporate Relations | |
| Carol Adelman | Y | Y | Director, Center for Global Prosperity |
| Charles Fairbanks | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Charles Horner | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Christopher DeMuth | Y | Y | Distinguished Fellow. President of the American Enterprise Institute. |
| Christopher Sands | Y | Senior Fellow | |
| Craig Kennedy | Y | Senior Fellow | |
| David Satter | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| David W. Murray | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Douglas J. Feith | Y | Y | Director, Center for National Security Strategies |
| Elaine L. Chao | Y | Distinguished Fellow | |
| Eric B. Brown | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Gabriel Schoenfeld | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Hank Cardello | Y | Y | Director, Obesity Solutions Initiative |
| Hanns Kuttner | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Harold Furchtgott-Roth | Y | Y | Director, Center for the Economics of the Internet |
| Hillel Fradkin | Y | Y | Director, Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World |
| Husain Haqqani | Y | Y | Director for South and Central Asia |
| Irwin M. Stelzer | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Jack David | Y | Y | |
| Jaime Daremblum | Y | Y | Director, Center for Latin American Studies |
| Jeffrey H. Anderson | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Jeremiah Norris | Y | Y | Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Science in Public Policy |
| John C. Weicher | Y | Y | Director, Center for Housing and Financial Markets |
| John Fonte | Y | Y | Director, Center for American Common Culture |
| John Lee | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| John P. Walters | Y | Y | Chief Operating Officer |
| Jun Isomura | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Lee Smith | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Lewis Libby | Y | Y | Senior Vice President |
| Maneeza Hossain | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Marie-Josée Kravis | Y | Y | Board Member, Vice Chair, and Senior Fellow |
| Max Singer | Y | Y | |
| Melanie Kirkpatrick | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Michael Doran | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Michael Pillsbury | Y | Y | Senior Fellow & Director of the Center for Chinese Strategy |
| Mike Rogers | Y | Y | Distinguished Fellow |
| Naser Khader | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Nina Shea | Y | Y | Director, Center for Religious Freedom |
| Paul Marshall | Y | Y | Senior Fellow, Center for Religious Freedom |
| Richard Weitz | Y | Y | Director, Center for Political-Military Analysis |
| Robert M. McDowell | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Ron Prosor | Y | Distinguished Fellow | |
| Ronald W. Dworkin | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Samuel Tadros | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| Seth Cropsey | Y | Y | Director, Center for American Seapower |
| Walter Russell Mead | Y | Y | Distinguished Scholar, American Strategy and Statesmanship |
| William A. Schambra | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
| William Schneider | Y | Y | Senior Fellow |
Fellows
| Name | 201524“Experts,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fbE6p | 201625“Senior Fellows,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/bhC62 | Description |
| Andrei A. Piontkovsky | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Ann Marlowe | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Benjamin Haddad | Y | Research Fellow | |
| Brendan Brown | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Bryan McGrath | Y | Y | Deputy Director, Center for American Seapower |
| Charles Davidson | Y | Y | Executive Director, Kleptocracy Initiative |
| Hannah Thoburn | Y | Y | Research Fellow |
| James C. Capretta | Y | Adjunct Fellow | |
| Jerry Weinberger | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Joel Schwartz | Y | Y | Adjunct Senior Fellow |
| John Balfe | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| John H. Shenefield | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Julie Davidson | Y | Kleptocracy Initiative | |
| Lee Lane | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Lela Gilbert | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow, Center for Religious Freedom |
| Lianchao Han | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Maina Singh | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Marcello Pera | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Mario Mancuso | Y | Y | Visiting Senior Fellow |
| Marius Laurinavicius | Y | BAFF Security Research Fellow | |
| Martha Bayles | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Melanie Marlowe | Y | Visiting Fellow | |
| Michael Pregent | Y | Adjunct Fellow | |
| Nibras Kazimi | Y | Y | Visiting Fellow |
| Norman Podhoretz | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Peter Rough | Y | Fellow | |
| Rachel Pagano | Y | Research Fellow | |
| Rebeccah L. Heinrichs | Y | Y | Fellow |
| Ronald Radosh | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Shmuel Bar | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Tevi Troy | Y | Y | Adjunct Fellow |
| Yoshiki Hidaka | Y | Y | Visiting Senior Fellow |
Researchers
| Name | 201526“Experts,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fbE6p | 201627“Senior Fellows,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/bhC62 |
| Aparna Pande | Y | Y |
| Arielle Roth | Y | Y |
| Benjamin Haddad | Y | |
| Bryan Schwartz | Y | Y |
| Cita Stelzer | Y | Y |
| Elias Riskin | Y | |
| Idalia Friedson | Y | |
| Jeffrey Gedmin | Y | |
| Ju Young Lee | Y | |
| Natalie Duffy | Y | |
| Nate Sibley | Y | |
| Peter Podkopaev | Y | Y |
| Peter Rough | Y | |
| Rachel Pagano | Y | |
| Thomas Weldy | Y | |
| Tim Wang | Y |
Past Leadership (2011)
Additional members of the Hudson Institute’s leadership circle, as of January, 2012 included:28“Hudson Institute Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived January 10, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Yh6Lo
Herbert I. London — President Emeritus
John W. Freeman — Chief Financial Officer
Grace Paine Terzian — Vice President for Communications
Hudson Scholars (2011)
As of 2011, The Hudson Institute listed the following scholars as “Available for Comment” on their “guide for the media”:29“Hudson Scholars Available for Comment,” The Hudson Institute. Archived October 7, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Mv6zp
- Carol C. Adelman
- Alex Alexiev
- Alex A. Avery
- Dennis T. Avery
- John Balfe
- Shmuel Bar
- Anne Bayefsky
- Robert H. Bork
- Eric B. Brown
- Hank Cardello
- Bruce Cole
- Seth Cropsey
- Jaime Daremblum
- Jack David
- Ronald W. Dworkin
- Douglas Feith
- John Fonte
- Christopher Ford
- Hillel Fradkin
- Harold Furchtgott-Roth
- Lela Gilbert
- Linchao Han
- Yoshiki Hidaka
- Charles Horner
- Michael Horowitz
- Maneeza Hossain
- Jun Isomura
- Amy A. Kass
- Amy Kauffman
- Nibras Kazimi
- Melanie Kirkpatrick
- Marie-Josée Kravis
- Hanns Kuttner
- Lee Lane
- John Lee
- Lewis Libby
- Herbert I. London
- Mario Mancuso
- Ann Marlowe
- Paul Marshall
- Heidi Metcalf Little
- Hassan Mneimneh
- Andrew Natsios
- Jeremiah Norris
- Aparna Pande
- Marcello Pera
- Andrei A. Piontkovsky
- Norman Podhoretz
- Elizabeth Samson
- Christopher Sands
- David Satter
- William A. Schambra
- Sarah Schlesinger
- Gabriel Schoenfeld
- Nina Shea
- John H. Shenefield
- Abram N. Shulsky
- Max Singer
- Lee Smith
- Irwin M. Stelzer
- Samuel Tadros
- Tevi Troy
- John P. Walters
- John C. Weicher
- Kenneth R. Weinstein
- Richard Weitz
- Kurt Werthmuller
- Meyrav Wurmser
Actions
June 13, 2016
The Hudson Institute was listed as a creditor in Peabody Energy’s 2016 bankruptcy filings, reports the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD/PRWatch).30Nick Surgey. “Peabody Coal Bankruptcy Reveals Climate Denial Network Funding,” PRWatch, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DR5pv
While the available bankruptcy documents do not list the scale or dates of funding, they outline Peabody Energy’s financial ties to a large network of groups promoting climate change denial.31“In re: Peabody Energy Corporation, et al. Debtors,” United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Missouri Eastern Division, Case 16-42529, May 27, 2016. Retrieved from DocumentCloud.
Prominent individuals appearing in the documents include climate deniers Willie Soon, Richard Lindzen, Roy Spencer and Richard Berman. The long list of organizations also includes groups such as Americans for Prosperity, American Legislative Exchange Council, CFACT, Institute for Energy Research, State Policy Network, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and dozens more.32Farron Cousins. “Court Documents Show Coal Giant Peabody Energy Funded Dozens Of Climate Denial Groups,” DeSmog, June 13, 2016.
The Guardian also analysed and reported on the Peabody bankruptcy findings:33Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Biggest US coal company funded dozens of groups questioning climate change,” The Guardian, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Oibzy
“These groups collectively are the heart and soul of climate denial,” said Kert Davies, founder of the Climate Investigation Center, who has spent 20 years tracking funding for climate denial. “It’s the broadest list I have seen of one company funding so many nodes in the denial machine.”
The company’s filings reveal funding for a range of organisations which have fought Barack Obama’s plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and denied the very existence of climate change. […]
Among Peabody’s beneficiaries, the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change has insisted – wrongly – that carbon emissions are not a threat but “the elixir of life” while the American Legislative Exchange Council is trying to overturn Environmental Protection Agency rules cutting emissions from power plants. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity campaigns against carbon pricing. The Oklahoma chapter was on the list. […]
“The breadth of the groups with financial ties to Peabody is extraordinary. Thinktanks, litigation groups, climate scientists, political organisations, dozens of organisations blocking action on climate all receiving funding from the coal industry,” said Nick Surgey, director of research for the Center for Media and Democracy.
“We expected to see some denial money, but it looks like Peabody is the treasury for a very substantial part of the climate denial movement.”
Notable organizations listed in the initial documents include:
- 60 Plus Association
- The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
- American Energy Alliance
- Alliance For Energy And Economic Growth
- American Energy Alliance
- American Legislative Exchange Council
- Americans For Prosperity Oklahoma
- Atlas Economic Research Foundation
- Berman And Company, Inc
- Consumer Energy Alliance
- Center For Clean Air Policy
- Center for Energy and Economic Development
- Center For The Study Of Carbon Dioxide And Global Change
- Coalition for Responsible Regulation
- Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow
- Council on State Taxation
- DCI Group AZ, LLC
- Ducks Unlimited
- Energy & Environment Legal Institute
- Edison Electric Institute
- Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
- Free Market Environmental Law Clinic
- Frontiers Of Freedom Institute
- George C. Marshall Institute
- Hill Knowlton Strategies
- Hill Knowlton, Inc
- Hudson Institute
- Hunton & Williams
- Independence Institute
- Institute For Energy Research
- Institute for Liberty
- National Association of Manufacturers
- National Black Chamber of Commerce
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National Mining Association
- National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- NextGen Energy Council
- PACE (May refer to Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy)
- Science & Public Policy Institute
- Sidley Austin LLP
- State Policy Network
- Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute
- Texas Public Policy Foundation
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Western Business Roundtable
Notable individuals named in the initial documents include the following:
March 2016
A DeSmog investigation found that the Hudson Institute, via industry funding and advocacy, may have been instrumental in opening up Israel’s offshore natural gas reserves for drilling in the Mediterranean Sea for Noble Energy.34Steve Horn. “Holy Gas: Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Team Member Pushed Offshore Drilling in Israel,” DeSmog, March 29, 2016. DeSmog reports that George Papadoupolous—past research assistant at the Hudson Institute and now a member of Donald Trump’s foreign policy advisory team—may have played a key role.35“Introduction to Essays and Contributors” (PDF), AHIF Policy Journal (Spring, 2015). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
In summer 2015, Papadoupolous co-authored a six-page Hebrew language paper that included the Hudson Institute’s logo and that of the brands of his collaborating co-authors that was submitted to the Israeli Energy Ministry. The paper advocates for offshore gas drilling and calls for an industry-friendly financial scheme in the concessions process.
According to the Israeli Energy Ministry Hebrew-language website, one of the paper’s co-authors presented it at an Israeli Energy Minister hearing. 36“The hearing topic outline to regulate the natural gas industry,” Energy.gobv.il, July 22, 2016. Translated with Google Translate. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/p0Lb8 Months after they submitted the report to Israel’s Energy Ministry in December 2015, the Energy Ministry approved offshore drilling conditions for Noble Energy and Delek Group, The New York Times reports. 37Isabel Kershner and Stanley Reed. “Israel Grants Approval for Development of Giant Offshore Gas Field,” The New York Times, December 17, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OBqAN One of Eco Energy’s clients, according to its website, is Delek Group.38“Company profile,” Eco Energy. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1p5Nt
Hudson Institute senior fellow Seth Cropsey co-authored the paper with Papadoupolous and affiliates of both Israel’s Eco Energy and Bethesda, Maryland’s Benjamin Schlesinger and Associates. Papadoupolous and Cropsey have co-written other papers including a Hudson Institute report titled ”U.S. Policy and the Strategic Relationship of Greece, Cyprus and Israel: Power Shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean”39“George Papadopoulos: London Centre of International Law Practice,” LinkedIn. PDF Archived at DeSmog March 24, 2016. , and another titled, “Vice President Biden’s Trip to Cyprus: A Lost Opportunity?”40“Seth Cropsey and George Papadopoulos,” AHIF Policy Journal (Spring, 2015). PDF Archived at DeSmog.
Desmog reports a connection between the Hudson Institute, Noble Energy, and Donald Trump including shared board members and funding.
July 8, 2014
Dennis Avery posted a piece on the Center for Global Food Issues blog titled ”Science Recommends Climate Model Re-Start.”41“Science Recommends Climate Model Re-Start,” Centre for Global Food Issues, July 8, 2014. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0nqMM
“The earth is currently in one of its cyclical global warmings, directly following the Little Ice Age. In the recent past, such warmings have lasted from 350 years (the Medieval Warming) to 800 years (The Roman Warming),” Avery Writes. “Even during this global warming, however, the temperature of the Pacific will cool periodically. The earth will then also cool as the Pacific is the world’s largest heat sink. NASA satellites reported that PDO began to shift cool about 2003, which would mean that cooling will probably last until roughly 2033.”
Avery’s argument is #1 on Skeptical Science’s “Most used Climate Myths.” According to Skeptical Science, while climate has changed in the past, this time humans are the largest cause: “Scientific analysis of past climates shows that greenhouse gasses, principally CO2, have controlled most ancient climate changes. The evidence for that is spread throughout the geological record. This makes it clear that this time around humans are the cause, mainly by our CO2 emissions.”42“What does past climate change tell us about global warming?” SkepticalScience. Accessed September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/re2nE
February 2013
The Hudson Institute released a report titled “Institutional Choices for Regulating Oil and Gas Wells” (PDF) which focused on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and why most strict regulations on the industry should be avoided. The report was authored by the Hudson Institute Scholar (and “Expert” on climate change), Lee Lane.43Lee Lane. “Institutional Choices for Regulating Oil and Gas Wells” (PDF), The Hudson Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
The report begins, stating that “Clearly, the nation can reap large benefits from exploiting its natural gas resources. GDP, national security, and the environment all stand to gain. It is also true that, to maximize net benefits, the public sector should limit the environmental side effects of finding and producing natural gas. Proposals for greater federal control, however, raise a basic question: What should be the division of labor between Washington and the states?”
According to Lane, “The shale gas boom, if government policy allows it to proceed, offers vast benefits. The economic gains are patent. Large benefits in national and global security are also in the offing. And the boom will also help to dampen growth in global warming emissions.”
The study concludes, “In sum, developing U.S. natural gas resources will yield gains in economics, national security, and the environment. […] The FRAC Act would impose a new set of federal standards on state regulators. The above analysis implies that this step would not enhance the efficient division of labor between federal and state governments.”
On February 12, 2013, Lee Lane led a panel discussion on its findings and the key related questions facing policymakers. Video Below.44“Institutional Choices for Regulating Oil and Gas Wells,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1fQwK
December 2011
The Hudson Institute released a publication titled “History, Ideology, and U.S. Climate Policy: Beyond the Orthodoxies of Left and Right” (PDF) written by Hudson Institute Scholar Lee Lane.
According to Lane, “Climate change does pose some risks; yet those risks do not imply that massive social engineering for GHG control is either possible or desirable. Only when an awareness of this reality sinks in among public intellectuals is a more serious policy discourse likely to emerge.” He also contends that “”The United States is almost certainly incurring higher costs from its climate policies than it is from climate change.”45Lee Lane. “History, Ideology, and U.S. Climate Policy: Beyond the Orthodoxies of Left and Right” (PDF), The Hudson Institute, December, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
Lee Lane, whom The Hudson Institute lists as an Expert on Climate Change, has also been Co-Director of the Geoengineering Project at the American Enterprise Institute and Vice President for Policy at the Association of American Railroads.46“Experts – Lee Lane,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZkLL5
Lee Lane was also part of a Hudson Institute Panel Discussion on climate policy titled “Climate Policy Holy Wars: Clashing Secular Religions and Stubborn Economic Realities.”47“Climate Policy Holy Wars: Clashing Secular Religions and Stubborn Economic Realities,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AJ6nq
June 8, 2006
Dennis Avery of the Hudson Institute published an article in their center for global food issues titled “Global Warming: Some Inconvenient Glaciers.”48“Global Warming: Some Inconvenient Glaciers,” Center for Global Food Issues. Retrieved from The Progressive Conservative, USA. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/b9qYL
In the piece, Avery mentions a study from the June, 2006 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that he suggests provides evidence that changes in the sun are responsible for the retreat of glaciers.
Avery does not mention that the study he refers to also points out that glaciers are sensitive to small temperature changes which would be exacerbated by man-made global warming.49Kevin Grandia. “NEWS ALERT: Hudson Institute and Dennis Avery’s Scientific Spin on Andes Glacier Study,” DeSmog, June 14, 2006.
September 2003
The Hudson Institute released a study that suggested higher CO2 levels would be beneficial rather than causing the potential extinction of natural species.50Dennis T. Avery. “Global Warming and the Fortune of Species,” The Hudson Institute, November 4, 2003. Archived November 3, 2004. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tIqTP
Hudson’s report was titled “The Specter of Species Extinction,” and led by the father-and-sons team of Sherwood, Craig, and Keith Idso. It concluded that “higher CO2 levels act as fertilizer for trees and plants, and that higher CO2 levels also reduce the amount of energy ‘wasted’ by virtually all plant species on a process called photorespiration. As long as temperatures and CO2 are both rising, trees and plants will be vigorous enough to exploit warming’s opportunities to expand their range, rather than getting death notices from Greenpeace.”
Hudson Institute Contact & Location
The Hudson Institute lists the following contact information on its website:51“Directons,” Hudson Institute. Archived May 29, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/2sKOa
Hudson Institute
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004
P: 202-974-2400
F: 202-974-2410
E-mail [email protected]
Related Organizations
Hudson Institute, Noble Energy, & Donald Trump
In 2013, Hudson Institute gave then-Noble Energy CEO Charles D. Davidson its first ever Global Leadership Award for his company’s role in discovering and moving to drill offshore for gas in Israel.52“Noble Energy’s Charles D. Davidson Recognized with Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award,” Hudson Institute, December 10, 2013. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CPqoO
“Davidson was honored today for his transformative successes in developing energy resources in the United States and Eastern Mediterranean, which have led to enhanced U.S. energy security and competitiveness and turned the Eastern Mediterranean into a burgeoning energy-producing region,” reads a December 2013 Hudson press release.53“Noble Energy’s Charles D. Davidson Recognized with Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award,” Hudson Institute, December 10, 2013. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CPqoO
Davidson also funded the Hudson Institute in the past. Another connection is Noble Board member Jeffrey Berensen who also serves on Hudson Institute’s Board of Trustees54“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK and was a top-tier funder according to the Institute’s 2015 Annual Report. Noble Board of Directors member Edward Cox is also a Hudson donor.55“Hudson Institute 2015 Annual Report” (PDF), the Hudson Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
According to financial disclosure forms released by Donald Trump, he formerly had 17,800 shares of Noble Energy stock, valued at $1.12 million when he sold them in January 2014.56“How Donald Trump Made Million on Stocks,” NewsMax, July 15, 2015. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PD5Bu
Social Media
- @HudsonInstitute on Twitter.
- “Hudson Institute” on Facebook.
- “Hudson Institute” on LinkedIn.
Other Resources
- “Hudson Institute,” SourceWatch Profile.
- Greenpeace Research Documents on the Hudson Institute.
- “Hudson Institute,” RightWeb, last updated November 21, 2014.
Resources
- 1“Hudson Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Accessed April 20, 2016.
- 2Joseph B. Treaster. “Herman Kahn Dies; Futurist and Thinker on Nuclear Strategy,” The New York Times, July 8, 1983. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/7YMVZ
- 3Louis Menand. “Fat Man,” The New Yorker, June 27, 2005. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/kNr8F
- 4“An independent research organization promoting new ideas for the advancement of global security, prosperity and freedom,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/WcMJ0
- 5“History,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/xB7ll
- 6Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups 5m over three years,” The Guardian, June 9, 2015. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KqMx1
- 7Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Secretive donors gave US climate denial groups 5m over three years,” The Guardian, June 9, 2015. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KqMx1
- 8“SCIENCE RECOMMENDS CLIMATE MODEL RE-START, BY DENNIS. T. AVERY,” Centre for Global Food Issues, July 8, 2014. Archived with WebCite September 25, 2015.
- 9“About CGFI,” Centre for Global Food Issues. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/81rWG
- 10Rachel Smoker. “Geoengineering Is a Dangerous Solution to Climate Change,” Huffington Post, March 22, 2014. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lP69m
- 11Clive Hamilton. “The Risks of Climate Engineering,” The New York Times. Archived September 26, 2015. February 12, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/LtryI
- 12Dennis T. Avery. “Carbon Dioxide Won’t Cause Famines,” Hudson Institute, June 2, 2014. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/BMLn7
- 13Lee Lane. “History, Ideology, and U.S. Climate Policy: Beyond the Orthodoxies of Left and Right” (PDF), The Hudson Institute, December, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 14“Hudson Institute,” Conservative Transparency. Accessed April 20, 2016.
- 15ExxonSecrets Factsheet: Hudson Institute. Accessed March 30, 2019. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/mSL93
- 16“Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine,” Greenpeace USA. Archived March 14, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/au7P4
- 17“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK
- 18“Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dgeNT
- 19“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK
- 20“Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dgeNT
- 21“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK
- 22“Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/dgeNT
- 23“Experts,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fbE6p
- 24“Experts,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fbE6p
- 25“Senior Fellows,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/bhC62
- 26“Experts,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/fbE6p
- 27“Senior Fellows,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/bhC62
- 28“Hudson Institute Leadership,” Hudson Institute. Archived January 10, 2012. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Yh6Lo
- 29“Hudson Scholars Available for Comment,” The Hudson Institute. Archived October 7, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Mv6zp
- 30Nick Surgey. “Peabody Coal Bankruptcy Reveals Climate Denial Network Funding,” PRWatch, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/DR5pv
- 31“In re: Peabody Energy Corporation, et al. Debtors,” United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Missouri Eastern Division, Case 16-42529, May 27, 2016. Retrieved from DocumentCloud.
- 32Farron Cousins. “Court Documents Show Coal Giant Peabody Energy Funded Dozens Of Climate Denial Groups,” DeSmog, June 13, 2016.
- 33Suzanne Goldenberg and Helena Bengtsson. “Biggest US coal company funded dozens of groups questioning climate change,” The Guardian, June 13, 2016. Archived June 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Oibzy
- 34Steve Horn. “Holy Gas: Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Team Member Pushed Offshore Drilling in Israel,” DeSmog, March 29, 2016.
- 35“Introduction to Essays and Contributors” (PDF), AHIF Policy Journal (Spring, 2015). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 36“The hearing topic outline to regulate the natural gas industry,” Energy.gobv.il, July 22, 2016. Translated with Google Translate. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/p0Lb8
- 37Isabel Kershner and Stanley Reed. “Israel Grants Approval for Development of Giant Offshore Gas Field,” The New York Times, December 17, 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OBqAN
- 38“Company profile,” Eco Energy. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1p5Nt
- 39“George Papadopoulos: London Centre of International Law Practice,” LinkedIn. PDF Archived at DeSmog March 24, 2016.
- 40“Seth Cropsey and George Papadopoulos,” AHIF Policy Journal (Spring, 2015). PDF Archived at DeSmog.
- 41“Science Recommends Climate Model Re-Start,” Centre for Global Food Issues, July 8, 2014. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0nqMM
- 42“What does past climate change tell us about global warming?” SkepticalScience. Accessed September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/re2nE
- 43Lee Lane. “Institutional Choices for Regulating Oil and Gas Wells” (PDF), The Hudson Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 44“Institutional Choices for Regulating Oil and Gas Wells,” Hudson Institute. Archived August 1, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/1fQwK
- 45Lee Lane. “History, Ideology, and U.S. Climate Policy: Beyond the Orthodoxies of Left and Right” (PDF), The Hudson Institute, December, 2011. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 46“Experts – Lee Lane,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 25, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/ZkLL5
- 47“Climate Policy Holy Wars: Clashing Secular Religions and Stubborn Economic Realities,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/AJ6nq
- 48“Global Warming: Some Inconvenient Glaciers,” Center for Global Food Issues. Retrieved from The Progressive Conservative, USA. Archived April 20, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/b9qYL
- 49Kevin Grandia. “NEWS ALERT: Hudson Institute and Dennis Avery’s Scientific Spin on Andes Glacier Study,” DeSmog, June 14, 2006.
- 50Dennis T. Avery. “Global Warming and the Fortune of Species,” The Hudson Institute, November 4, 2003. Archived November 3, 2004. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/tIqTP
- 51
- 52“Noble Energy’s Charles D. Davidson Recognized with Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award,” Hudson Institute, December 10, 2013. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CPqoO
- 53“Noble Energy’s Charles D. Davidson Recognized with Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award,” Hudson Institute, December 10, 2013. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/CPqoO
- 54“Leadership & Board,” Hudson Institute. Archived September 26, 2015. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/QAZHK
- 55“Hudson Institute 2015 Annual Report” (PDF), the Hudson Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- 56“How Donald Trump Made Million on Stocks,” NewsMax, July 15, 2015. Archived April 21, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PD5Bu
