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Brendan DeMelle

24 August 09

Lobbyists for Big Oil Organizing Most “Grassroots” ‘Energy Citizens’ Rallies

Tags: astroturfing, energy citizens american petroleum institute, General, Grist, oil industry lobbyists

Grist took a deeper look at a list of “local organizers” of the Astroturf ‘Energy Citizens’ rallies and discovered that most of them are actually oil industry lobbyists. Go figure. Since the American Petroleum Institute cooked up the idea for these ‘grassroots’ events to mimic the health care town hall rent-a-mobs, it makes sense that Big Oil’s lobbyists would do the ‘community organizing’ necessary to pull off this charade.

Grist found that registered oil industry lobbyists are behind 15 of the 21 planned rallies, which look more like ‘glorified company picnics’ than spontaneous grassroots gatherings of concerned citizens.
Check out Grist’s list of the lobbyists organizing these “grassroots” rallies:

•    Greensboro, N.C., rally organizer Bill Weatherspoon is a registered lobbyist for API in North Carolina.
•    Lima, Ohio, organizer Terry Fleming is a registered lobbyist for the Ohio Petroleum Council.
•    Atlanta, Ga., organizer Ric Cobb is a registerd lobbyist for the Georgia Petroleum Council.
•    Elkhart, Ind., organizer Maggie McShane lobbies on behalf of the Indiana Petroleum Council.
•    Nashville, Tenn., organizer Mike Williams is a registered lobbyist for API.
•    Bismarck, N.D., organizer Ron Ness is a former registered lobbyist for the North Dakota Petroleum Council.
•    Tampa, Fla., organizer David Mica registered lobbyist for the Florida Petroleum Council.
•    St. Louis, Mo., organizer Ryan Rowden is a registered lobbyist for the Missouri Petroleum Council.
•    Greenville, S.C., organizer Kay Clamp is a registered lobbyist for the South Carolina Petroleum Council.
•    Lincoln, Neb., point of contact Chris Abboud is a registered lobbyist for the Agri-Business Association of Nebraska.
•    Springfield, Ill., organizer Dave Sykuta is a registered lobbyist [PDF] for API.
•    Detroit, Mich., organizer John Griffin is a registered lobbyist for the Associated Petroleum Industries of Michigan.
•    Richmond, Va., organizer Mike Ward is a registered lobbyist for API in Virginia.
•    Philadelphia, Pa., organizer Rolf Hanson registered lobbyist for API in Pennsylvania.
•    Huron, S.D., organizer Tim Dougherty is a registered lobbyist.
•    And in Farmington, N.M., rally organizer Wendi Schuur is the director of public and community affairs at Devon Energy, an oil and gas company.

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#709871

SJL Web Design. +1; Sun, 2009-12-06 02:13; Interesting finds, would

SJL Web Design

Interesting finds, would refer to them as grassroots gatherings of concerned citizens for one second.

Sam Logan
SJL Web Design

About the climate cover-up

Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.

Although all public relations professionals are bound by a duty to not knowingly mislead the public, some have executed comprehensive campaigns of misinformation on behalf of industry clients on issues ranging from tobacco and asbestos to seat belts.

Lately, these fringe players have turned their efforts to creating confusion about climate change. This PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media as well as the assent and participation of leaders in government and business.

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