I’ve written several times now about Tuesday’s climate policy briefing hosted by Newsweek magazine and the American Petroleum Institute.

Here is the full transcript of the event:

23527903-Newsweek-Dialogue-Series-Climate-and-Energy-Policy-Moving-12-1-09 –

This story keeps getting better and better. Greenpeace seems to have evidence that all of this was in violation of Senate rules. Their Executive Director Phil Radford has fired off a letter to Senator Schumer to this effect.

Here is the letter:

Letter from Phil Radford to Senator Schumer-1 –

Here is the sign on the front door of the event, which prominently displayed API and Newsweek logos:

Here is the flyer the American Petroleum Institute distributed at the event, claiming the oil industry is responsible for 9.2 million jobs:

API jobs flyer_color copy –

Here is the event’s program:

API Newsweek program_color copy-1 –

I told you the other day about Tuesday’s policy forum hosted by Newsweek magazine and the American Petroleum Institute. At the time, Howard Fineman defended his magazine’s role in providing a forum for communication between powerful special interests and members of Congress:

Rep. Ed Markey, the chief sponsor of the House cap-and-trade bill and a leading environmental advocate, is a full participant in the open, on-the-record discussion with no control by API over the questions or flow. Dem Sen Byron Dorgan is also participating and will reflect various views in Dem caucus. Rep Fred Upton, who opposed the House bill, will also participate. I see nothing wrong with an open, on-the-record balanced discussion like this. Newsweek has a long tradition of enviro reporting, including our annual green issue.

It looks like I wasn’t the only one who took issue with Fineman’s take. TPM Muckracker ran the headline: Fineman: “I See Nothing Wrong” With Newsweek/Oil Lobby Panel. Jamison Foser of Media Matters wrote:

Seriously? The “discussion” featured the president of the American Petroleum Institute — which just happens to fund Newsweek — but no representatives of environmental organizations … and Howard Fineman calls that a “balanced discussion”?

Apparently to Newsweek, “balance” means “Industry representatives who fund us and–Hey! Look over there!”

Despite basically nonexistent media coverage, the event went forward as planned on Tuesday evening. We’ve begun to hear from some folks who were in attendance.

Greenpeace, which has been leading the charge on this, provided me with this dispatch via email:

Greenpeace staff got into the event (on the 3rd attempt) to confront Gerard and Fineman with the questions of Newsweek’s rental price and the pay-to-play nature of the panel. Gerard was able to sit side-by-side with the members of Congress who showed up: Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).

Greenpeace staffers approached Gerard with cameras rolling to get answers to the question of Newsweek’s rental price. At first, Gerard unwittingly shook the staffer’s hand before realizing what was happening. He then quickly walked away with Greenpeace on his tail – all the way out of the building and out onto the street.

Fineman quickly left the scene without comment.

Here is a short video clip of the incident Greenpeace describes:

Additionally, I got ahold of a short audio clip from the event. After Representative Markey talks up the future of natural gas, Newsweek’s Fineman tells an industry-friendly joke:

As a native of Pittsburgh, I’m really excited about the Marcellus Shale. I’m hoping maybe there’s some under my relative’s land. (laughter)

Listen to the audio here:

No word yet on whether Fineman joked about the recent string of carcinogenic chemical spills in Pennsylvania as a result of hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale.

Update — Mark Floegel has more on this:

The first question from the audience was for Mr. Gerard: “How are you, the head of the oil lobby, qualified to speak about climate change?”

His answer? Money. (Well, what did you expect?) Mr. Gerard claimed that 9.2 million Americans rely on the oil industry for their jobs. He claims the oil industry has spent $58 billion dollars “addressing climate change,” which he says is “more than the federal government has spent.” Then he spoke about how we need to burn coal.

Floegel also notes that the American Petroleum Institute distributed ‘literature’ at the event:

Here are the headings:

This is about jobs.
This is about new taxes threatening your job.
This is about new taxes hurting our economy.
This is about higher energy taxes hurting your wallet.
This is about protecting and growing jobs.
This is about a better way forward.

A careful read of the API document reveals not one word about global warming. “Climate and Energy Policy: Moving?” Yes, in the wrong direction.

About a month ago, a strange email hit the inboxes of many congressional staffers. It was an invitation to an ‘Executive Forum’ on climate and energy policy hosted by the American Petroleum Institute. What was strange about this invitation was the sender of the email and the co-host of the policy forum: Newsweek magazine. The event is scheduled for today at 4pm.

Greenpeace’s Executive Director Phil Radford, understandably, took issue with this when the event was announced:

At present, the panel’s only member is American Petroleum Institute (API) President Jack Gerard.As you know, Mr. Gerard is the nation’s top registered lobbyist for Big Oil. API and its biggest member, ExxonMobil, have aggressively lobbied against global warming policy solutions that will inevitably limit global consumption of oil. API and its members have spent tens of millions of dollars over the past decade alone on propaganda efforts and front groups to undercut public confidence in the wide and deep global scientific consensus that global warming is real, that human consumption of fossil fuels is driving it, and that the problem is a serious threat to America and the rest of the world.

Greenpeace was not alone in its concerns:

“You’re selling access,” said Edward Wasserman, Knight professor of journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. “Newsweek is using its reputation as a great news organization to convene these officeholders to talk about public policy. Then it’s renting out a space at the table for one of its customers who would not be at the table if not for giving money to Newsweek.”

Upping the ante before today’s big event, Greenpeace called for the event to be canceled and issued the following statement:

“Big Oil is buying access to our elected leaders by paying Newsweek to host this forum, and it must be called off,” Radford said. “Gerard and API will stop at nothing to stall progress on clean energy and climate solutions. I’m amazed Newsweek is endangering its reputation by renting its banner and top pundit to Big Oil. This forum is pay-to-play propaganda.”

In response to this, Newsweek’s Howard Fineman provided EnviroKnow with the following statement via email:

Rep. Ed Markey, the chief sponsor of the House cap-and-trade bill and a leading environmental advocate, is a full participant in the open, on-the-record discussion with no control by API over the questions or flow. Dem Sen Byron Dorgan is also participating and will reflect various views in Dem caucus. Rep Fred Upton, who opposed the House bill, will also participate. I see nothing wrong with an open, on-the-record balanced discussion like this. Newsweek has a long tradition of enviro reporting, including our annual green issue.

We’ll have more on this after tonight’s event.

Update: Talking Points Memo has now picked up this story.

Greenpeace press release via email.

Greenpeace Executive Director Phil Radford today called on Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham and the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Jack Gerard to cancel a controversial, pay-to-play “forum” scheduled today in the US Capitol.

API and Newsweek have avoided answering basic questions about the lopsided panel – Gerard, the sponsor, is the only announced speaker – and how much API paid to rent Newsweek’s banner and columnist Howard Fineman’s time.

The event will be held in the Mansfield Room of the US Capitol.

The forum is being billed as a discussion about the effort to address climate change. It is being held amidst a congressional debate on clean energy and climate legislation and one week before world leaders meet to negotiate a global climate deal in Copenhagen, Denmark. In a widely distributed invitation to the forum, Newsweek revealed that numerous members of Congress had been invited.

Radford and his staff have repeatedly asked questions about the forum’s costs and lack of balance. Newsweek public relations staff admitted to Radford during a call that the forum was the only one that had been held in the Capitol while legislation of the same topic was being considered.

“Big Oil is buying access to our elected leaders by paying Newsweek to host this forum, and it must be called off,” Radford said. “Gerard and API will stop at nothing to stall progress on clean energy and climate solutions. I’m amazed Newsweek is endangering its reputation by renting its banner and top pundit to Big Oil. This forum is pay-to-play propaganda.”

On November 5, 2009, Greenwire broke the news about these forums. It quoted Washington and Lee University journalism ethics professor Edward Wasserman saying: “You’re selling access. Newsweek is using its reputation as a great news organization to convene these officeholders to talk about public policy. Then it’s renting out a space at the table for one of its customers who would not be at the table if not for giving money to Newsweek.”

Newsweek has stated that the event, which is scheduled for 4PM in the Mansfield Room of the US Capitol, is open to members of the press.

The other day I mentioned Newsweek’s plans to host a climate and energy policy forum for Members of Congress with the American Petroleum Institute. Here is a paragraph from the invite:

The panel discussion will be moderated Howard Fineman, Newsweek National-Affairs Columnist and Senior Washington Correspondent with special guest panelist Jack Gerard, President & Chief Executive Officer of American Petroleum Institute (API). Newsweek is also honored to have forum invitations currently pending confirmation with notable members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. These additional program announcements will be made in the coming days and you will be apprised of these updates.

Greenpeace’s Executive Director Phil Radford took issue with this, and fired off the following letter to Jon Meachem, Editor of Newsweek.

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Clean Air Watch:

Some offices on Capitol Hill are abuzz this week about an invitation they received from Newsweek magazine to participate in an “Executive Forum” on “Climate and Energy Policy” that is being “co-hosted” with the American Petroleum Institute — the oil industry lobby that is fighting an all-out war against climate change legislation on Capitol Hill.

They really couldn’t find someone better than the President of big oil’s front group to sit on this panel? Not cool, Newsweek.

The email sent to offices on Capitol Hill, also via Clean Air Watch can be read in full below.

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