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John Oliver to oil lobby: You bozos picked the wrong man to plagiarize

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John Oliver to oil lobby: You bozos picked the wrong man to plagiarize

By on Aug 15, 2016Share

Incredulous British person and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver has a new nemesis: the American Petroleum Institute.

Oliver pointed out on Sunday that the lobbying arm of the oil industry aired a commercial during the Rio Olympics that essentially carbon-copied the opening credit sequence of his own show. In response, he aired an imitation of one of API’s more shameless millennial-targeted ads.

A sunny, #relatable actress in Oliver’s version of the ad explains: “Did you know that [API] had research warning them about the link between fossil fuels and climate change as early as 1968? Maybe that’s why their logo looks like it’s being impaled by a polar bear’s dick.”

For the full ad, and more of Oliver’s thoughts on the organization that spent decades and millions of dollars fighting the public acceptance of climate change, watch the clip above.

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John Oliver to oil lobby: You bozos picked the wrong man to plagiarize

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Industry events left an oily sheen on the Democratic convention

Marchers for clean energy in Philadelphia. REUTERS/Bryan Woolston

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Industry events left an oily sheen on the Democratic convention

By on Jul 29, 2016 10:11 amShare

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

A series of events sponsored by the oil and gas industry “polluted” the Democratic National Convention with climate denialism and should have been boycotted by leading Democrats, according to environmentalists.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) underwrote five events hosted in Philadelphia during the convention by media organizations Politico and the Atlantic.

The events, which promoted API’s Vote4Energy campaign, provided delegates and other attendees with literature and signage extolling the benefits of oil and gas drilling.

While both Politico and the Atlantic said that API, the U.S.’s leading fossil fuel lobby group, did not hold any sway over the content of the panel discussions, green groups claimed the events allowed the denial of climate science to seep into the Democratic gathering.

“These polluting events have a complete disrespect for the scientific facts and we are very concerned about the influence that fossil fuels have here,” said Brad Johnson, executive director of Climate Hawks Vote, a political action group which put together a 10,000-strong petition urging Democrats to boycott the events.

The group said it was disappointed the Atlantic and Politico had accepted the lobby group’s money. “API deliberately disseminate misinformation and journalists should have ethical and professional qualms about that,” Johnson said.

A batch of documents released earlier this year showed that API was made aware of “serious worldwide environmental changes” caused by the burning of oil and gas more than 45 years ago. Despite this knowledge, the industry funded and encouraged climate denial groups for several decades before finally acknowledging the realities of climate change.

The 2016 Democratic platform calls for the Department of Justice to “investigate allegations of corporate fraud on the part of fossil fuel companies accused of misleading shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change.”

Despite this stance, several leading Democrats agreed to appear at the API-sponsored events. On Wednesday, a Politico event featured Trevor Houser, Clinton’s top energy adviser, alongside John Hickenlooper and Jay Inslee, Democratic governors of Colorado and Washington, respectively.

During a somewhat fraught debate, which included several attempted stage invasions by anti-fracking activists and a threat by one Bernie Sanders supporter to pour soup over Houser, each attendee was given booklets produced by API.

The literature, called “Principles for American Energy Progress,” hails a “new era” in free market energy in which increased domestic oil and gas production has lowered energy and gasoline prices. The booklet cites unsourced research that shows 77 percent of Americans support increased production of oil and gas, including 64 percent of Democrats.

The booklet, which does not contain the words “climate change,” criticizes regulation and the “shifting of standards to levels that achieve no demonstrable health benefit.” An accompanying website cites the activities that oil and gas make possible, such as picnics.

Jack Gerard, president and chief executive of API, addressed the crowd before the panel talk and praised the impact of “abundant, affordable, clean-burning natural gas” for bringing down America’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

“When you look at the science and data, we can help consumers, help the country, and lead the world in environmental protection,” he said, ignoring a cry of “that’s a lie” from a protester.

Politico and the Atlantic also held API-sponsored events at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week. According to the Intercept, the Washington Post also hosted a climate event, in which Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn claimed the world was “cooling down.”

In fact, there is a clear trend of warming temperatures, with 2016 highly likely to be the warmest year on record. It will beat a mark set in 2015, which itself topped record heat in 2014. Scientists estimate that about three-quarters of all discovered fossil fuels must remain unburned if the world is to avoid disastrous climate change. While natural gas is far less carbon-intensive than coal or oil, it can still lead to significant emissions, particularly if methane is released during drilling.

Politico pointed the Guardian to its events policy, which states: “We welcome suggestions from sponsors, however, final decisions about event content remain with the Politico newsroom.” It adds that Politico “does not permit sponsors to sit on panels that they underwrite”.

A spokeswoman for the Atlantic said the publication has “full editorial control of what’s on stage at our events; the underwriter plays no role in that part of the process. We make all decisions about our content: speaker and moderator selection, the experience on stage, the questions asked.”

She added that the events “bring a range of viewpoints to the stage and never promote one point of view or another.” Neither Politico nor the Atlantic would disclose how much API paid for the sponsorships.

A spokesman for API said: “Energy is our candidate, and that is a message we continue to share with all candidates as energy is a major issue for American voters.

“We can continue to lead in providing low-cost energy to consumers while improving the environment. They are not mutually exclusive.”

Many of the API-funded events have featured politicians and commentators who are in favor of expanding drilling for oil and gas. The Politico panel on Wednesday was more focused on attacking Donald Trump, with Inslee calling the Republican nominee “part of the Flat Earth Society” and Houser labelling the Republican position on climate change “insane.”

Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, said API was trying to “fool the public.”

“That’s their business model and they will do all sorts of things to mislead and misinform people to push their own survival as a dirty, dangerous source of fuels,” he said.

“We wish that the media could do what they do with their own resources. The API is deceiving the public, acting like climate change doesn’t exist at a time when we are seeing it’s an amazing threat right now with the heat waves and droughts and forest fires. They are pushing propaganda.”

Karpinski, who spoke to the DNC on Thursday before Clinton’s headline speech, said the Democratic platform was “the most aggressive on climate change ever seen.” The platform proposes a swift transition to 100 percent renewable energy and a price on carbon, although Clinton has yet to fully embrace either of these goals.

“We have to make sure that [Clinton] wins and has a Senate that will work with her,” Karpinski said.

“Donald Trump would be a disaster for the climate, we can’t let that happen. We will either have a climate change champion or a climate change denier as president. The stakes are that high. I’d argue they’ve never been higher.”

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Industry events left an oily sheen on the Democratic convention

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Remembering Powerhouse Photographer Mary Ellen Mark

Mother Jones

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I found out about the death of photographer Mary Ellen Mark the way we learn about the passing of anyone these days—Facebook. My feed is currently flooded with condolences, remembrances, and laminations for Mark, who died yesterday at age 75.

Mark was a powerhouse photographer, a true legend. Her early ’80s project on homeless youth, Streetwise, remains a canon of documentary photography. In the late ’80s and ’90s, Mark’s work graced the pages of Mother Jones numerous times. Art Director Kerry Tremain made great use of her, both picking up archival images and making assignments such as portraits of journalist I.F. Stone and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

Mark’s work was also featured early in the Mother Jones Fine Prints and Portfolios program, which led to the creation of the Mother Jones Documentary Photo Fund. Her print was part of the New York Portfolio I, alongside other heavy hitters like Nan Goldin, Duane Michaels, Ralph Gibson, and Inge Morath. (Sorry, we no longer have any of the print portfolios.)

No doubt there will be many eulogies and recollections of Mark and the impact she made on photography, particularly on social documentary photography, the kind of photography that’s been our bread and butter here.

Though it’s a just a shallow slice of her deep legacy, here’s a collection of some of Mark’s work for Mother Jones.

I.F. Stone, September 1989

Russell Simmons, November 2003

Mother Jones 15th anniversary issue, 1991

Story on Ms. magazine, November 1990

Story on Ms. magazine, November 1990

Jessica Mitford and Maya Angelou, November 1992

“Hollywood’s Washington” cover, January 1991

And here’s a short piece that Leica produced on Mark:

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Remembering Powerhouse Photographer Mary Ellen Mark

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Birthday, it’s ya birthday: Fracking technology turns 65

Birthday, it’s ya birthday: Fracking technology turns 65

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Gather round, ladies and gentlemen, for today the technology behind hydraulic fracturing turns 65. We’d personally like to take this moment to remind all the fracking wells out there that they’re now eligible for a free beverage at Taco Bell. Get that Pepsi, girl!

The American Petroleum Institute has thoughtfully organized a publicity campaign around this momentous occasion. In the spirit of birthdays being the time of year that we lie to ourselves to feel better about our lives, API’s “happy birthday, fracking!” press release is basically chock-full of fun falsehoods:

“Americans have long been energy pioneers, from the 1800’s [sic] when the first wells were drilled to today,” said API Director of Upstream and Industry Operations Erik Milito. “As part of that history, on March 17, 1949, we developed the technology to safely unlock shale and other tight formations, and now the U.S. is the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas.”

In fact, the United States is not the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas yet, but we are set to overtake Russia in shale energy production and reach the No. 1 spot by 2015. Back pats all around! The use of “safe” as a descriptor for fracking is, however, debatable at best. The charade continues:

“Thanks to fracking, we can produce more energy, with a smaller environmental footprint — changing America’s energy trajectory from scarcity to abundance,” said Milito. “This is a birthday worth celebrating.”

Indeed! On this most holy of days, let us completely disregard the studied effects that fracking has had on both drinking water and air quality!

While the technology that makes fracking possible was first developed in 1949, it wasn’t successfully implemented until 1997, when energy baron George Mitchell started using fracking drills to extract gas from the Barnett Shale in Texas. Since then, the industry has exploded, both literally and figuratively: In 2000, shale beds only produced less than 1 percent of natural gas in the United States, and in 2013, that share increased to 35 percent.

However, the API seems set on portraying fracking as an established, reliable source of energy, complete with delightfully old-timey photos:

energyfromshale.orgBaby’s first drill!

Let’s all take our cue from 2 Chainz and say: When I die, bury me inside the Marcellus Shale. Get it? Because fracking has been shown to endanger human lives. Admittedly, that’s not quite as catchy on a birthday card.

Eve Andrews is a Grist fellow and new Seattle transplant via the mean streets of Chicago, Poughkeepsie, and Pittsburgh, respectively and in order of meanness. Follow her on Twitter.Find this article interesting? Donate now to support our work.Read more: Business & Technology

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Birthday, it’s ya birthday: Fracking technology turns 65

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New Year, Same Spin

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New Year, Same Spin

Posted 7 January 2014 in

National

The oil industry’s lobbying group, the American Petroleum Institute (API), has just released its 2014 State of American Energy summary, and it’s no surprise they’re taking yet another opportunity to spread misinformation about the Renewable Fuel Standard and its role in promoting viable alternatives to oil.

Underlying API’s claims about the RFS is the idea that there’s a “blend wall” preventing the wider adoption of higher renewable fuel blends like E15 (the DOE’s most extensively tested fuel, ever). When the RFS first passed, the oil industry effectively pledged to invest in the infrastructure necessary to bring renewable blends to our gas pumps. But now that renewable fuel is presenting true competition, they’re doing everything in their power to prevent its adoption. That means engaging in frivolous lawsuits, fabricating safety concerns about E15 and discouraging franchisees from carrying the fuel.

The oil companies don’t want to blend more renewable fuel into gasoline because it hurts their bottom line. In fact, it cost them (and saved you) $50 billion in 2012, so it’s no surprise they’re doing what they can to squash the competition. So who benefits from renewable fuel? You do, in the form of lower gas prices, reduced carbon emissions and increased national security. The choice should be clear.

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New Year, Same Spin

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Oil industry sues EPA over biofuel mandate

Oil industry sues EPA over biofuel mandate

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Old gas pumps, new fuel mandates.

Oil companies are fighting efforts to boost the percentage of biofuels in gasoline. And they’re not the only ones — some green groups are opposed to the biofuels boost too.

The American Petroleum Institute filed a lawsuit this week that seeks to overturn the EPA’s renewable-fuel mandate, which requires that gas contain a minimum percentage of biofuel. There’s particular controversy over requirements for use of cellulosic ethanol, which can be made from crop waste but is not currently being produced in large supply.  From The Hill:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Renewable Fuel Standard in August, long after the agency’s statutory deadline in November of last year. The industry has repeatedly called the standards unworkable. …

The standards require refiners to use millions of gallons of cellulosic ethanol this year, but the API argues that only 142,000 gallons have been made available to refiners thus far for blending.

Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, scoffed at the assertion, arguing that the standard can easily be met.

But the Environmental Working Group opposes the new mandates too. Here’s what EWG Vice President Scott Faber told Congress in July:

To date, the [Renewable Fuel Standard] has failed to deliver the “good” biofuels that could help meet many of our environmental and energy challenges. Instead, the RFS has delivered too many “bad” biofuels that increase greenhouse gas emissions, pollute our air and water, destroy critical habitat for wildlife and increase food and fuel prices. …

To allow [cleaner] second-generation biofuels to gain a foothold in the marketplace, Congress must reform the RFS to phase out the mandate for corn ethanol.

As Mother Jones reported a few months ago, “The only group that really seems to like the new rule is the ethanol lobby.”

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.Find this article interesting? Donate now to support our work.Read more: Business & Technology

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Oil industry sues EPA over biofuel mandate

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Don’t let the oil industry fool you: AAA doesn’t want to repeal the RFS

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Don’t let the oil industry fool you: AAA doesn’t want to repeal the RFS

Posted 18 July 2013 in

National

From Domestic Fuel:

This week the American Petroleum Institute (API) kicked off an new anti-ethanol and anti-biofuels TV and print campaign and in a commercial being aired in South Dakota, criticized the increased use of ethanol and E15 as a motor fuel. The 30-second commercials mention Triple A (AAA) and the organization has come out publicly and said the ads misrepresent their position on E15 and is calling for API to have the ads taken down.

“This commercial is the latest in a series of communications on social media and elsewhere which portray AAA as being “anti-ethanol.” This is not the case,” according to AAA’s statement. “AAA South Dakota remains a strong supporter of image002-2the development and use of alternative fuels such as ethanol. The auto club believes ethanol fuels provide motorists with a choice at the pump that promotes U.S. energy independence, supports American and South Dakotan jobs and can save the consumer money.”

Click here to read the full article

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Don’t let the oil industry fool you: AAA doesn’t want to repeal the RFS

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Judge says EPA’s lax guidelines on dispersants can stand

Judge says EPA’s lax guidelines on dispersants can stand

NOAAA worker spraying Corexit in the Gulf.

Should the federal government regulate where oil dispersants can be used and how much can be dumped into waterways following oil spills?

“Nah,” says the EPA.

Environmental groups filed suit last year seeking to force the agency to improve its oversight of the use of dispersants. But a federal judge this week tossed out the lawsuit after oil industry attorneys helped EPA win on a technicality.

Americans woke up to the dangers of oil dispersants after BP poured more than 1.8 million gallons of Corexit EC9500A and Corexit EC9527A into the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon blowout. The toxic dispersants helped the crude oil mix with water, forcing it down from the surface and into the water column, out of sight of humans and television crews but into the habitat of a lot of marine wildlife. The chemicals also made cleanup workers and local residents horrifically sick.

It was nearly 30 years ago, in 1984, that the EPA finalized its rules for dealing with dispersants and began compiling a schedule of chemicals that may be used to control oil spills. The Sierra Club and the seven other environmental groups behind the suit called for the agency to expand its plans to include details on the places and the quantities in which the chemicals can be used. The EPA said it prefers giving the oil industry flexibility to battle spills based on local conditions.

From Courthouse News Service:

The groups claimed the EPA’s failure to include information about water bodies and safe chemical quantities violated its statutory duties under the Clean Water Act.

They claimed the EPA “acted arbitrarily and capriciously” each time it added a new chemical to the product schedule in the past 6 years.

The EPA and intervenor-defendant American Petroleum Institute (API) sought dismissal, arguing that the groups’ claims were untimely because they sued 30 years after the EPA published the contingency plan and product schedule.

[U.S. District Judge John] Bates sided with the EPA, agreeing that the environmental groups did not present their claims by the statutory deadline.

“… the court concludes that the time for bringing suit has long since passed and hence plaintiffs’ claims must be dismissed.”

Congratulations on the victory, EPA. If only you focused as hard on protecting Americans from dispersant-spraying oil companies as you do on crafting legal arguments.

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Judge says EPA’s lax guidelines on dispersants can stand

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“The best outcome for the oil companies is if nothing changes”

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“The best outcome for the oil companies is if nothing changes”

Posted 26 April 2013 in

National

“The best outcome for the oil companies is if nothing changes”

–Paul Bryan, former Chevron executive

This week, oil companies are releasing their quarterly financials and Chevron, like the rest of the industry, has managed once again to amass exorbitant profits at the expense of the American taxpayer – $6.2 billion dollars in the last three months alone.

Now if oil companies like Chevron were actually interested in reducing the squeeze on our wallets, they would reinvest some of those billions into the research and infrastructure we need to support alternative, renewable fuels. But instead, Chevron “quietly shelved” its renewable fuel projects in 2010, despite assurances from their own scientists that their research had yielded a “technical winner.”

This is all part of a larger pattern. Oil companies were willing to support renewable fuel last decade, when they didn’t see it as viable competition. But now that they see real change on the horizon, they’re more worried about protecting their monopoly than ushering in the next generation of transportation fuel. That’s why API and its corporate backers (like Chevron) will go to any lengths to kill the Renewable Fuel Standard because they know that if gas prices stay high, so do their profits.

If this makes you mad (it sure makes us mad), then take a stand and sign the pledge to support renewable fuel!

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“The best outcome for the oil companies is if nothing changes”

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Our Response to API’s E15 Report

Our Response to API’s E15 Report

Posted 29 January 2013 in

National

Big Oil unveiled a new report today, filled with misleading claims and half-truths about one of our favorite renewable fuels: E15. Our response:

Today’s report from oil-lobby backed research group Coordinating Research Council displays clear bias and ignores millions of miles and years of testing that went into EPA’s approval of E15.

CRC’s bias is clear – API is a “sustaining member” of the group – and so it’s no surprise that the CRC is negative about E15. They’re playing right in to API’s misguided ploy to overturn the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Over 6.5 million miles of testing, equivalent to 12 round trips to the moon, makes E15 the most tested fuel, ever.

The CRC study by contrast doesn’t reflect a single mile driven, but rather, car components tested in isolation. By researchers’ own admission, testing also included an “aggressive” E15 blend that includes more water and acid than what consumers would use in their cars. Meanwhile, auto makers like Ford and GM have approved E15 for use in their new vehicles and some of the world’s most demanding cars and drivers at NASCAR use ethanol exclusively. This is a fuel that works and is already in use.

The oil industry is intent on maintaining its control over America’s fuel supply, and this kind of biased research is exactly why we must continue to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard and the investment it has supported. Luckily Congress had the foresight to create the Renewable Fuel Standard to ensure that drivers have access choices with renewable fuel at the pump.

 

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Our Response to API’s E15 Report

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