The quantity of climate disinformation alleging that Biden or Greta are somehow responsible for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the global pandemic’s effects on fossil fuel prices has slowed in recent weeks. Most of the non-climate-specific rightwing disinfo sphere has moved on to other issues, but the industry-funded folks are still pushing the point that merely thinking about climate policy is causing high prices. The industry is just too intimidated by climate activists to produce more and bring down prices!
Take last Thursday’s piece by Tristan Justice in The Federalist, where even the headline is forced to acknowledge that everyone knows this is a stupid argument: Biden’s Decision To Stop The Keystone Pipeline Absolutely Hiked Gas Prices.
Tristan is the “western correspondent” for the billionaire-backed Federalist, his bio indicates he’s written for the rightwing Washington Examiner, Koch-funded Real Clear and industry-backed Heritage blog Daily Signal, and his story relies on quotes from Tom Pyle of the industry lobby American Energy Alliance, Kathleen Sgamma, of the industry lobby Western Energy Alliance, Larry Behrens of the industry lobby Power the Future, and a video from Kite and Key Media.
They take turns blaming Biden’s intentions and vibes and virtue-signaling against fossil fuels as determinants of industry’s profit-grabbing agenda, and the only new thing about any of this was the Kite and Key Media video.
Intrigued by its YouTube channel description (over 2 million views) stating simply that “the world is complicated…but the explanations don’t have to be. New videos every Wednesday,” we poked around Kite and Key’s sleek-looking website. We were impressed with their “Statement of Integrity” claiming it’s “a research and evidence-driven organization” but also acknowledges that “our editorial views are inevitably shaped by our experiences and convictions” and “encourage you to apply your own values, priorities, and beliefs to the material– and to use the citations we’ve provided to go back and examine the original sources upon which we depend.”
Okay, we’re game! Looking at their sources for a video on why renewables are inherently bad, we find in the citations so-called experts like Big Oil’s million dollar baby Willie Soon, and Mark Mills of the dirty-energy-funded Manhattan Institute. Not exactly bastions of integrity!
While they go to some measure to hide their hard right political leaning in promotional materials, Kite and Key media’s co-founders Vanessa Mendoza and Troy Senik are, among other rightwing accolades like George W Bush speechwriter, both former Vice Presidents at the Manhattan Institute.
Oddly, they don’t mention writing speeches for the post-truth administration known for scoffing at the “reality-based community” or working for a group that pumps out hate and industrial disinformation in their statement on integrity, which certainly speaks to their lack thereof.
So, yes, if you ask the people paid by the fossil fuel industry to advance the interests of the fossil fuel industry what they think about the fossil fuel industry, you will hear them tell you things that would advance the fossil fuel industry’s interests.
Fortunately, though, it no longer seems like people who aren’t paid to carry industry propaganda are making fools of themselves with these arguments.
Unfortunately, that still leaves plenty of people making these arguments, and plenty of rightwing disinfo outlets happy to publish them.
Tristan Justice, trained in rightwing disinfo outlets, wrote a story about it in a rightwing disinfo outlet, based on quotes and a video by rightwing fossil fueled disinfo peddlers.
It’s a disinformation loop pushing the lie that Biden’s environmentalism is causing high gas prices, and the only good news is that it’s a closed loop.