Remember the Koch brothers? Last year they pumped $1 million dollars into Prop 23, the Dirty Energy Proposition. Even though that effort failed, they’re still up to no good. This Sunday they’re hosting a private strategy meeting in Rancho Mirage and some of our allies are hosting a rally to shed light on their influence and actions.
You might be wondering – how much how much of a threat to the environment could the Koch brothers could really be?
Well, a report released by Greenpeace in March last year — “Koch Industries: Secretly Funding the Climate Denial Machine” — exposed Koch Industries for fueling high-profile “debates” about the science of climate change. From 2005 to 2008, Koch Industries-controlled foundations contributed $24.9 million in funding to organizations of the “climate denial machine.” According to the report, “The Koch brothers, their family members, and their employees direct a web of financing that supports conservative special interest groups and think-tanks, with a strong focus on fighting environmental regulation, opposing clean energy legislation, and easing limits on industrial pollution.”
The millions of dollars detailed in the report make Koch Industries the “largest funder of climate change denying organizations and media outlets in the world… Not only have Koch fronts instructed Tea Party groups to kill national legislation to address climate change, but Koch groups have been instrumental in pushing climate change-believers out of the Republican Party.”
And of course, the Koch brothers invested heavily in the failed effort to repeal California’s clean energy and climate law last year. A company owned by the brothers contributed $1 million to Proposition 23, the November 2010 ballot initiative to suspend California’s landmark law, AB 32.
In short, they’re a huge threat to the environment, particularly to environmental progress in California.
If you live in or near Rancho Mirage, please join CLCV, Courage Campaign, Common Cause, and many environmental groups in rallying outside of the Koch brothers meeting this Sunday:
WHAT: Koch-Busters Rally
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 30th, 1 PM-4 PM
WHERE: At the entrance to Rancho Las Palmas Resort, 41-000 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, California (the location of the meeting)
If you don’t live nearby and still want to take part, you can watch the rally and a panel taking place before the rally online. Here’s the panel lineup:
- Former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich
- UC Irvine Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
- Center for American Progress investigative reporter and Koch Brothers expert Lee Fang, Senior Fellow
- Center for American Progress Van Jones
- California Nurses Association co-President DeAnn McEwen, RN
Live video was posted here with the panel starting at 11:00am on Sunday and the rally taking place immediately afterward. Search for news stories and videos from the event.
