Brad Johnson makes a great catch:

The target of this ad is the Obama administration’s effort to remove $36 billion in loopholes and subsidies for the oil industry. As it turns out, the “Americans” presented in the ad are stock photos from Getty Images

The ad is below, and you can see the stock images Brad pulled from Getty at The Wonk Room.

Via Stephen Webster we learn of this ad that is being displayed at Valero gas stations in Austin, Texas:

And you wouldn’t know by looking at the ad itself, but ‘Voices for Energy’ campaign is paid for by Valero. The site itself is a simple ’send a letter to Congress’ tool, which includes this default language (emphasis mine):

These are challenging economic times for everyone and I am deeply concerned that federal climate change legislation titled the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act recently introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer of California and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts will place undue hardships on my family, my community, the oil and gas industry, and the United States of America.

Simply stated, I believe the climate change legislation being considered will cost Americans billions of dollars in higher fuel and energy prices, kill jobs, reduce America’s competitiveness, and will not deliver the environmental benefits promised. We are counting on you and your colleagues in Washington to vote against the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act as it will raise energy prices for Americans, jeopardize jobs, and make America less competitive.

Excuse me for a moment while I drop a tear for the oil and gas industry. In addition to making up 7 of 9 largest companies in the world, the six most profitable companies are all in the oil business. Valero, the company behind this misleading astroturf operation, is the 33rd largest in the world.

This seems awfully fishy:

When he was hauled before Congress last week for sending those forged letters to lawmakers on climate change, astroturf lobbyist Jack Bonner pledged to make sure that no similar event ever happened again. As a centerpiece of that effort, Bonner announced that his firm had hired James Thurber, an American University political science professor, to act as an “independent ethics adviser.”

Bonner assured lawmakers that the new adviser “is well-regarded as maintaining the highest ethical standards and independence,” and “will review our policies and work with us to continue to improve our internal quality control system to the highest standards.” All in all, it sounded like a good idea.

But it’s fair to ask how independent Thurber really is.

Today, Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, ran an ad by the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS), the American University program that Thurber directs.

Here is the ad (click here for full size):

Kate Sheppard:

In an email to Bonner headed “Ready to Rumble,” Hawthorn lists seven key Democratic targets it believed could be pressured to vote against the bill. Hawthorn also named specific interest groups it hoped would write letters opposing the legislation—especially organizations “representing the interests of veterans, senior citizens, minorities, and other groups,” according to the documents. The email requests Bonner to produce five letters from such groups in the district of each targted lawmaker.

Here is the letter:

Here is Chairman Markey’s testimony:

Here is Rep. Periello’s testimony:

Here is Jack Bonner’s Testimony:

Here is Steve Miller’s Testimony:

Press Release from the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming announced today that he will be holding an investigative hearing into the fraudulent letters sent to Congress on clean energy and climate legislation. The Select Committee has now discovered more than a dozen fraudulent letters were sent to several members of Congress as part of an “Astroturf” campaign run by the firm, Bonner & Associates, and contracted by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. This campaign was designed to influence members of Congress on the House-passed Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill.

The hearing will feature some of the central figures in the controversy, including victims of the fraud. The fraudulent letters were staged to appear as if they were sent by groups representing senior citizens, minorities and veterans.

While the hearing will focus on the specific events surrounding this fraud on Congress, the practice of “Astroturf” — corporate-funded activities that create the false appearance of a true grassroots movement — has come to the fore in American political discourse surrounding the debates over health care and energy legislation.

WHAT: Select Committee hearing: “Fraudulent Letters Opposing Clean Energy Legislation.”

WHEN: Thursday, October 15, 2009, 9:30 AM

WHERE: 210 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC and online.

WHO: Witnesses to be announced

Late update.

WITNESSES:
Mr. Jack Bonner, Bonner & Associates
Mr. Steve Miller, President and CEO, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
Ms. Lisa M. Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, American Association of University Women
Mr. Hilary O. Shelton, Director and Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy, NAACP Washington Bureau

Think Progress:

On Labor Day, tens of thousands of people will be gathering for the coal-powered “Friends of America Rally” in Holden, WV. The point of the gathering is to rail against the Waxman-Markey clean energy legislation. It will feature right-wing guests such as Sean Hannity and Ted Nugent (who once ranted about killing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton), and is being pushed by mountaintop-removal mining company Massey Energy. Last week, Massey CEO Don Blankenship even recorded a video inviting people to attend the rally, saying they would learn about how “environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs.”

Turns out, Duke Energy was not the first company to leave the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

Pete Altman at NRDC Switchboard makes a great catch:

We noticed that when ACCCE rolled out in April 2008, Alcoa was listed as a major member.Now, Alcoa is nowhere to be found on the ACCCE Web site.

Following up, I sent the following set of questions to an Alcoa communications staffer:

Is Alcoa still a member of the American Coalition for Clean for Electricity?

If not:

- When did you end your membership?
- Did you release a statement?
- Why did you end your membership?

Although, they didn’t respond to the last question, here is Alcoa’s response (via email):

We are no longer a member. We did not issue any statements at the time (a few months ago). We also didn’t announce when we joined.

In addition to Alcoa, three other companies that were originally members (PDF) of ACCCE are no longer listed on the website.

• Express Marine
• FirstEnergy
• Western Farmers Electric Cooperative

I have already heard back from FirstEnergy, which is also no longer a member of ACCCE (via email):

FirstEnergy is not a member of ACCCE. As part of our reorganization in March of 2009 to conserve assets, we cancelled our memberships in several utility coalitions, including ACCCE. No public statement was issued as a result of these membership cancellations.

I am currently seeking verification of the membership status of both Express Marine and the Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.

Background:

Remember the lobbying firm that got busted forging anti climate bill letters to Congress on behalf of a coal industry front group a few weeks ago?

In response to a harshly worded query from Representative Ed Markey, Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, Bonner and Associates has lawyered-up in a major way and taken a highly defensive posture.

bonner_akingump –