While we all more or less assume that deniers who attack climate scientists aren't doing so just for fun or for accuracy’s sake, it's always interesting when a direct financial relationship between a fossil fuel company and denier operative comes to light. In this instance, we now know that Alpha Natural Resources paid noted denier Chris Horner at least $18,600 dollars.
After Alpha went bankrupt, the coal giant's financial information was made public—revealing the Horner connection. The Intercept reported on Horner's funding back in August, but a more recent story in the WSJ detailed the actual payment amounts. From May to July, Alpha cut three $6,200 checks to Horner, the Senior Legal Fellow at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute (EELI, formerly the American Tradition Institute).
It's unclear what exactly Alpha got in return for the payments, but it's worth noting that Horner and EELI have been using normal stakeholder engagement as the basis for leveling accusations of collusion at the Obama administration, the EPA, state governors and various environmental NGOs. They've also targeted the Sierra Club, accusing the nonprofit of having a conflict of interest pertaining to its Beyond Coal campaign, because a couple of donors have connections to renewables. Then, in honor of the pope's visit, EELI put together a laughably sinister video that attempted to negate the pope's climate stance.
Though EELI's press releases employ predictable levels of hyperbole, the lack of any real wrongdoing has prevented Horner's work from entering the mainstream media. (It turns out that the administration and EPA talk to governors and green groups about policies that affect them, which doesn't seem too newsworthy to most.)
Given EELI's papal video, it seems only fitting to suggest that Horner take care of the plank in his own eye before calling out the speck of sawdust in others'.
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