Timothy Birdnow

Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, writes a scathing letter criticizing the 20 states Attorney General who have launched a climate crusade and which his committee has been investigating. He has been met by a wall of silence, despite the demands of these same AG's for transparency where oil companies and "deniers" are concerned. He has reserved his big guns for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, both of whom he suspects of taking money (lots of it) from the Green lobby.

According to Congressman Smith:

"For nearly a year, the congressional committee I lead has been trying to understand the effects of these investigations on scientific research. Unfortunately, the attorneys general have obstructed our inquiry at every turn. Last July, after two months of unanswered requests for information, the committee issued subpoenas to Mr. Schneiderman and Ms. Healey.

The subpoenas asked for communications between Green 20 offices and environmental activists. This would show the level of coordination in this campaign to harass and silence scientists who challenge prevailing climate-change orthodoxies. The attorneys general have refused to comply, hiding behind vague excuses."

End excerpt.

Mr. Smith is particularly worried about the chilling affect these investigations will have on government-funded scientific research; it is clear that these AG's want to silence honest scientists who disagree with the politically approved paradigm of global warming.

Smith continues:

"The hypocrisy of the attorneys general here is evident—though perhaps understandable. Mr. Schneiderman has accepted nearly $300,000 in campaign donations from environmentalist donors, including members of the Soros family. He has also used the investigation as a way to curry favor with anti-Exxon billionaire Tom Steyer for a potential gubernatorial run, according to the New York Post.

Perhaps Mr. Schneiderman is afraid of what the House committee might confirm in the course of its investigation. Is he using his public office to advance the priorities of interest groups that support his personal political ambitions?

The American people deserve to know how Mr. Schneiderman’s and Ms. Healey’s actions affect the nation’s scientific community. By refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas, they have shown they have something to hide.

To borrow their premise, this obstruction is a coverup—and they must be held accountable for their hypocrisy. On Feb. 16, the House committee reissued the subpoenas, as is customary at the beginning of a new Congress. Although the attorneys general have not yet made any effort to cooperate, I remain hopeful that they will act in accordance with their public statements about transparency and accountability and will comply with the committee’s investigation."

End excerpt.

Indeed, the global warming swindle has been quite lucrative for many scientists who have profited both personally and professionally from the vast sums of money poured into climatology as a result of the global warming scare. National Review covered this money trail.

From the article:

" The federal government — which will gain unprecedented regulatory power if climate legislation is passed — has funded scientific research to the tune of $32.5 billion since 1989, according the Science and Public Policy Institute. That is an amount that dwarfs research contributions from oil companies and utilities, which have historically funded both sides of the debate.

(Global Warming Alarmist Scientist Michael) Mann, for example, has received some $6 million, mostly in government grants — according to a study by The American Spectator — including $500,000 in federal stimulus money while he was under investigation for his Climategate e-mails."

End excerpt.

mann isn't alone in this. And there is a dark network of billionaires and shadowy foundations (such as George Soros' Tides Foundation) that funds Climate Alarmism at a prodigious rate. See this chart for a detailed analysis of the Gang Greenhouse funding and see here for a comparative analysis of government funding for Leftist Environmental groups compared to similar conservative organizations. It is eye-opening.

And then there is this from the U.K. Guardian:

"Starting in 2009, the Energy Department has employed three funding and loan programs – along with pressure from President Obama and Vice President Biden – to monetize 33 projects. Section 1705 of the 2009 Recovery Act; Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) and the 1603 Treasury Program. 1705 and the ATVM have guaranteed $34.5 billion in taxpayer money, which has given America such notable losers as Solyndra, Fisker Automotive, Beacon Power, the Vehicle Production Group, Abound Solar and SoloPower. There are more "green” sinkholes out there still, waiting to implode.

Treasury Program 1603 alone awarded free taxpayer cash to campaign donors cum green energy execs to the tune of $19,349,675,402.00 How is private money supposed to compete with those kinds of numbers?"

[...]

"A survey of 3247 US research scientists who address global warming causes – all publicly funded through the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services – published in the science journal Nature, showed that 503 of them admitted to altered the design, methodology or results of their studies, due to pressure from funding sources. Those were just the scientists willing to be honest; it is safe to assume a much larger number."

End excerpts.

And James Hansen, Godfather of the Global Warming War of the Worlds hysteria has made out quite well. winning a "prize from the Heinz Foundation worth $250,000 and was co-winner of the Dan David Prize worth a million smackers. As Jeff Jacoby points out:

"Other awards have gone to other prophets of doom. And the potential rewards don't stop there. For those who toe the politically correct line on global warming, there have been big book contracts, hefty speaking fees, worshipful magazine profiles, softball TV interviews. Should any of that call their objectivity into question?"

So Mr. Hansen, who once dishonestly tried to claim the Bush Administration was "muzzling him" while he was touring to promote Global Warming alarmism on NASA's dime, has made out like a bandit. So have so many other "objective scientists" .That

Remember, Climatology was a dreary backwater discipline, a branch of meteorology until the global warming scare came along (after global cooling fell on it's face). Now it is big money, and if you want to play you had better bray. A researcher who says "well, the Earth has warmed a very miniscule amount but it is not statistically significant and our research doesn't suggest it is anthropogenic" will wind up teaching high school science in Peoria Illinois. It's doom or die.

Which makes any opposition research not just a crisis but a first rate emergency to the whole racketeering scheme. That is why it was vital that the force of Law be used to silence critics of the hysteria - and why Democratic Attorneys General have tried to impose the most onerous legal sanctions. It is a protection racket worthy of Al Capone.

Jeff Sessions should look into racketeering charges against THEM!

See also this for more on the big score made by the enviro lobby.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 10:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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