Posted on 09/29/2001 11:16:47 AM PDT by farmfriend
Government Grants Support Greens in ANWR Debate
In the midst of the debate over the opening of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration, federally funded environmental groups are taking a leading role. Ten of twenty nine organizations profiled in the Capital Research Center database who are actively opposing oil exploration in ANWR received $14.9 million combined in government funding between 1996 and the first quarter of 2000.
"In a crucial policy debate such as the one raging about ANWR, it is important to determine where the key figures in the debate receive their funding," said Capital Research Center President Terrence Scanlon.
"Many organizations campaiging against exploring energy sources in ANWR have received a large number of grants from government sources," Scanlon noted.
The National Audubon Society and the Natural Resources Defense Council were among the organizations receiving government money in 2000.
The Audubon Society received over a quarter of a million dollars in the first quarter of 2000, according to the Census Bureau’s Federal Assistance Award Data System (FAADS). The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) received $378,265 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the first quarter of 2000. Interestingly, on June 29, 2001, the NRDC filed a lawsuit against their benefactors at the EPA, alleging violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Administrative Procedures Act by the Bush Administration.
"While federal grants to environmental groups may not go directly to their political activities, it is important to remember that money is fungible. It is important for the public to know how major players in the public policy arena are funded," Scanlon said. "Some of the most prominent groups involved in the debate over the key questions in energy policy today are recipients of millions of dollars in taxpayer money from the EPA, the Department of the Interior, and other federal sources" Scanlon concluded.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.