See also the leak[1] of big oil PR maestro Rick Berman's 2014 speech to oil execs, pleading for funds to combat rational debate and reliable information about fracking.<p>“Think of this as an endless war,” he told them. “And you have to budget for it.”<p>> He said the industry needs to dig up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities, exploit the public’s short attention span for scientific debate, and play on people’s emotions.<p>> “Fear and anger have to be a part of this campaign,” Berman said. “We’re not going to get people to like the oil and gas industry over the next few months.”<p>> Berman also advised that executives continue to spend big. “I think $2 to $3 million would be a game changer,” he said. “We’ve had six-figure contributions to date from a few companies in this room to help us get to where we are.”<p>> But always cover your tracks, he suggested, adding that no-one is better equipped at doing so than his firm. “We run all this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity,” he said. “People don’t know who supports us. We’ve been doing this for 20-something years in this regard.” [2]<p>Plenty more in the transcript at [1], and the article at [2]!<p>1: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives...</a><p>2: <a href="https://www.desmog.com/2014/10/31/oil-and-gas-industry-s-endless-war-fracking-critics-revealed-rick-berman/" rel="nofollow">https://www.desmog.com/2014/10/31/oil-and-gas-industry-s-end...</a>
Many years ago, I got to see an Exxon "Legislative Affairs Coordinator" speak to a group of small landowners about how they could make their own lobbying efforts more effective.<p>In less than 10min this lady had the crowd ready to burn her at the stake.<p>She told them things like "your voice doesn't matter," urged them to donate all the money they could to Exxon's lobbying efforts (with unspecified goals), on the basis that at least it would get <i>something</i> done, even if it wasn't what they wanted. "Donate to our people, and our people will take care of you."<p>Then, she told them that actual grass-roots organizations like theirs were socially dangerous, because they wouldn't stick to their original mission but inevitably became cults, essentially. Something like "the best thing this organization can do, today, is vote to dissolve immediately"<p>All this was in exchange for a several thousand dollar speaking fee, which was the largest expense behind the venue for the event.
Where's the accountability? We're facing a global crisis. Once again, the rich are insulated from the consequences of their greed, while the poorest suffer the most. It's high time those who sold us out should have to answer for their actions. Something on the order of seven billion counts of reckless endangerment should do it.
Whenever this kind of leaks appears, some minority of people get outraged for a few days, and it ends like that.<p>For a change, I'd like to finally see some consequences for such behaviour. Some action to actually limit influence of lobbying from big corporations.<p>But honestly, I just don't see this happening, as long as some distant government is allowed to take important decisions on its own. Maybe the only balance against lobbying would be if more countries had some form of Swiss-like direct democracy. Not perfect, since people can also be influenced through various means, but it's much harder to "lobby" people to vote for something that is not in their interest that to "lobby" a group of politicians that don't care about people.
While cigarette makers killed hundreds of thousands of humans with their lies and confusion tactics, these fossil fuel barons are destroying our entire ecosystem and ways of life for billions of coastal or equatorial people, hell even the Pacific NW is turning into a desert. All to make a buck so rich fossil fuel magnates get another yacht or another mansion. It's disgustingly selfish.<p>Where are the punishments for this mass serial killing of our environment?
> “Nobody is going to propose a tax on all Americans and the cynical side of me says, yeah, we kind of know that but it gives us a talking point that we can say, ‘well what is ExxonMobil for, we’re for a carbon tax,’” McCoy said.<p>> McCoy also told the interviewers that Exxon had poured money into “shadow groups” in order to fight against climate science.<p>That appears to be the worst of it and I'm not sure it compares to what Exxon has already been caught doing in the past. A bit like finding out a convicted murderer was jaywalking on their way to the scene.
I'll say that this is not new. The thing is the only real movement to at least deal with one aspect here (remove lobbyist influence of politicians) is being pushed by a very minor section of the democratic party but the powers that be in both parties in the US are pushing back against them, and so the cogs keep turning without halt.
Pardon my ignorance, but how is lobbying legal? Isn't it actually funding and nominated people for incentives, unlike a true democracy. Isn't it effectively quid-pro-quo?
I highly recommend people interested in this topic read up on Dark Basin and some of the shady stuff Exxon gets up to against environmental groups.<p><a href="https://citizenlab.ca/2020/06/dark-basin-uncovering-a-massive-hack-for-hire-operation/" rel="nofollow">https://citizenlab.ca/2020/06/dark-basin-uncovering-a-massiv...</a><p>"Israeli charged in global hacker-for-hire scheme wants plea deal -court filing"
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/israeli-charged-global-hacker-for-hire-scheme-wants-plea-deal-court-filing-2021-06-30/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reuters.com/technology/israeli-charged-global-ha...</a><p>It's not just Exxon of course, I've worked on a number of similar cases were huge money was run through lawyers, corporate intelligence firms etc to manipulate and target environmental and human rights groups. My sense is that this is only really the beginning of a huge amount more of this shady practice in the industry being exposed.
If one wanted to replicate their methods, what's their source text and who are the key luminaries in the field? More importantly, is there research into the most effective methods to disrupt/disable this kind of malignant activity? There's gotta be something more effective than "investing in public education and civic engagement."
A good time to plug the movie <i>Thank You For Smoking</i>, a satire about lobbyists (tobacco in particular) that label themselves "Merchants of Death".<p>Quote: <i>"That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never wrong."</i>
I'm not surprised.<p>I don't think anything is going to change, I'm sure these acts are just buying time until oil companies and their shareholders have time to invest in cleaner technologies.<p>Still, we will have the same problem when the next damaging act for the environment is carried out: governments will turn a blind until the top 0.1% reaped all the profits and they're safely disinvested, leaving everyone's pensions and index funds to take a hit.<p>We need to get rid of corrupted governments which are only good at increasing spend without solving problems and then sue environment damaging companies in private courts.
I guess it will stay just a dream.
Twitter response from Darren Woods, Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil... “The individuals interviewed were never involved in developing the company’s policy positions on the issues discussed. We condemn the statements and are deeply apologetic for them, including comments regarding interactions with elected officials.”…<p><a href="https://twitter.com/exxonmobil/status/1410389477214801922" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/exxonmobil/status/1410389477214801922</a>
Feel like the solutions to so many problems is just tariffs. Tariffs on all imports and exports, tariffs on moving things between states too.<p>Significant tariffs would fuck these people so hard.
We, the public, have known (not suspected, known) for decades. We've done nothing. Are big oil companies a problem? Yes. Are they the problem? No, we are.
Any climate policy other than a carbon tax (with tariffs on goods from non-participating countries) is going to be a failure - it will be shot through with loopholes and rebates, such that little reduction is actually achieved.
That's what Lobbyists are supposed to do: manipulate politicians and public for their boss. Big Tech does the same thing. No need to be surprised.
Love all this stuff coming out.<p>My entire stock thesis is that the renewables mafia have infiltrated halls of power politically, economically, and technically.<p>Certainly....the media.<p>My gamble on all of this is that we'll consume more natural gas/kwh than would be expected.<p>I'll be closely watching $TELL, $FCG, $HYLN, $SD, $AR, and Torix(midstream company - OTC markets).
They were able to do it because the government is/was huge. If it wasn't and if they did not have so much power, there wouldn't have been anyone to lobby.