Coal Industry Paid Astro-turfers to Influence EPA Hearing on Greenhouse Gases

May 25th, 2012 by Susan Kraemer

Apparently the coal industry used a craigslist ad to hire astro-turfers to support dirty energy at the EPA’s May 24th public comment hearing on greenhouse gas reduction.

A clever catch from The Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago has revealed the latest attempt by the fossil industry to subvert the justice being delivered by this administration’s EPA in reducing greenhouse gases.

People needed to attend a public meeting (Tinley Park /Chicago)

Reply to: px6mq-3031150602@gigs.craigslist.org (email address no longer valid)

Looking for people THIS THURSDAY, MAY 24 who want to make a couple of dollars for a few hours of your time.

All you need to do is wear a t-shirt in support of an energy project for two hours during the public meeting. We will be departing the Tinely Park convention center at 8:15 am for the meeting and we will be back by 1:30 pm. For your time we will pay you $50 cash and provide you lunch once we return to the convention center.

Coal power has been curtailed by an administration which has responsibly done what it can to cut the greenhouse gases that are slowly blanketing our planet, destabilizing the climate.

If Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming did not coal-power their economies by over 80 percent, the world would be a safer place. It is only coal interests in these states who benefit from preventing EPA action to cut greenhouse gas.

The majority of the other states seem to be able to survive rather well on under 40 percent coal.

In 13 states people already get under 20 percent of their electricity from coal. The percentage of electricity from coal in Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont is already 0 percent, the percentage in California 1, Idaho 1, Washington 4, Oregon 6, New York 7, New Jersey 7, New Hampshire 11, Massachusetts 11, Nevada 17 and Mississippi 19 percent.

Only 8 states need over 80 percent coal power to keep their lights on, greatly skewing the U.S. average to now 36 percent coal. Since it is only a minority within this tiny minority of states – these 8 states – that benefits from coal, this ad for paid astro-turfing was necessary:

Sadly, judging by the looks of at least some of the youths in these t-shirts, it was not just the $50 that led them to the dark side, but simply the promise of a decent lunch.

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: 50, astroturf, EPA hearing, greenhouse gas, t-shirts

About the Author

Susan Kraemer writes at CleanTechnica, CSP-Today, PV-Insider , SmartGridUpdate, and GreenProphet. She has also been published at Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow, and Scientific American. As a former serial entrepreneur in product design, Susan brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention, solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci-fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times. Follow Susan on Twitter @dotcommodity.

RobS

With this weeks coal production report showing a 12.6% year on year reduction in total US coal production and the year to date use of coal in the US electricity industry falling by 21.5%! in the april Electricity Power Monthly id say we are watching a dying industry desperately clinging to survival. How much lower can a multinational industry stoop then hiring random adolescents on craigslist for $50 to “give them support” what a joke.
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Agreed!!
Omharisai

For fifty bucks and a bite, some traitors have betrayed the Environment they are living in. Go ahead, poor starving mortals and I hope one day when you gasp for oxygen, the Coal lobby will supply Co2 for you to breathe.
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  lol
  
  first part: sad, but true. and well summarized.
Ross

That is amusing.