Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Partnering with Poisoners

The Nature Conservancy takes more heat for its partnerships with the largest and most motorious large corporations including:
"Alcoa — massive polluter and consumer of energy
American Electric Power – coal burning (73%) electricity producer
Bank of America — will invest in anything, regardless of impact
BP – oil giant and greenwasher supreme
Cargill – food giant, GMO user on massive scale
Caterpillar – provides military equipment to repressive regimes"

http://thesietch.org/mysietch/keith/2008/04/19/the-nature-conservancy-partnering-with-poisoners/

Funding for the Environmentalist Industry

Perception v Reality Blog wrote about the funding of the environmental movement:

"In a dazzling display of raw power, foundations with interlocking directorates funded the Nature Conservancy in 1996 to the tune of $203,886,056, or 60 percent of its annual revenue. Initially the foundations banded together under the name Environmental Grantmakers Affinity Group of the Council on Foundations. Under the umbrella of Rockefeller Family Fund 136 foundations formed the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) in 1987 which has grown to over 200 by the end of the twentieth century. Congressman RichardPombo (R-CA) claimed in 1999 that there are "3,400 full time employees,including leaders who often make $150,000 or more, as well as a small army of outside contractors such as scientists, lobbyists, lawyers, and public affairs specialists" in Washington DC. Citing a 1999 Boston Globe article, Congressman Pombo said: …"foundations invest at least $400 million a year in environmental advocacy and research. The largest environmental grant-maker, Pew Charitable Trusts, gives more than $35 million annually to environmental groups ".....When the additional 2,300 foundations that donate to environmental activism are considered, plus the billion dollars or so contracted to environmental organizations by various agencies of the federal government, the Boston Globe [newspaper] estimates the total funding for environmental activism to be around four billion dollars annually!"

We suspect that the U.S. public is largely unaware of the tremendous size and awesome power of the environmental advocacy industry.

Friday, August 1, 2008

The Nature Conservancy Criticized in Montana Meetings

Montana residents criticized The Nature Conservancy when it attempted to drum up public support while continuing to hold closed door meetings on the 320,000 acre Plum Creek project. If completed it would be the largest conservation land deal in the U.S.

This effort is a delicate line for The Nature Conservancy. They want and need public support to continue funding all of their land deals, but if the financial details of a project were made public, then the outcry might be so strong as to crush the deal.

The Nature Conservancy is the nation's largest land broker and they have professional resources that could make our heads spin. The Nature Conservancy is seeking $250 million tax dollars and $260 million in private donations for this project alone. Profits to The Nature Conservancy on the deal were not disclosed. One neighbor said "If it seems like too good of a deal, it might not be. Be careful. Be vigilant.” Another simply said “I think we all smell a rat”.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/08/01/news/mtregional/news07.txt