From CATO....
Cato Fellow Patrick Michaels Runs Climate Denial PR Firm
Patrick Michaels, a former professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and an outspoken
climate change denier. On its website, Michaels is listed as Cato's only speaker on climate change. (Three others are also listed in the "Energy and Environment" category --
Jerry Taylor on "gas and oil prices, energy policy, energy conservation and regulation", Peter Van Doren on "energy regulation, gas and oil prices," and Randal O'Toole on broader environmental policies.)
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Pat Michaels represented the Cato Institute as a reviewer on Working Group III of the fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
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Michaels is the Editor of the
World Climate Report, a blog published by
New Hope Environmental Services, "an advocacy science consulting firm" he founded and runs.
[38] Michaels' biographical note on the Cato Institute website does not mention his role with New Hope Environmental Services.
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In an affidavit in a Vermont court case, Michaels described the "mission" of the firm as being to "publicize findings on climate change and scientific and social perspectives that may not otherwise appear in the popular literature or media. This entails both response research and public commentary."
[40] In effect, New Hope Environmental Services is a PR firm. Michaels' firm does not disclose who its clients are,
[41] but in 2006 a leaked memo revealed that Michaels' firm had been paid $100,000 by an electric utility,
Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), to counter concern about global warming.
[42] An affidavit by Michaels also stated that "public disclosure of a company's funding of New Hope and its employees has already caused considerable financial loss to New Hope. For example, in 2006
Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, Inc., an electric utility, had requested that its support of $50,000 to New Hope be held confidential. After this support was inadvertently made public by another New Hope client, Tri-State informed me that it would no longer support New Hope because of adverse publicity."
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On a 2007 academic CV, Michaels disclosed that prior to creating his firm, he had received funding from the
Edison Electric Institute -- an electric utility trade group -- and the
Western Fuels Association -- an entity that provides coal and transportation services to electric utilities. He has also been a frequent speaker at events organized by leading coal and energy companies as well as coal and other industry lobby groups.
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In 2009, the Center for Media and Democracy's
PRWatch noted that, "in its returns, Cato reports that since April 2006 it has paid $242,900 for the 'environmental policy' services of Michaels' firm. (In preceding years, New Hope Environmental Services was not listed amongst the five highest paid independent contractors supplying professional services to Cato.) In response to an email inquiry, Michaels stated that the Cato funding 'largely supported the extensive background research for my 2009 book,
Climate of Extremes, background research on climate change, mainly in the areas of ice melt and temperature histories, and background research required for invited lectures around the world.' (
Climate of Extremes was published by the Cato Institute in January of ... [2009].) Asked whether the funding came from a specific company, donor or foundation, Michaels wrote via email that there wasn't 'for this or for any of my activities.' (In case the Cato Institute knew of dedicated funding sources for Michaels work that he was unaware of, I also emailed an inquiry to the think tank's media office. They did not respond.)"
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