Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

A new analysis debunks two of the principal myths generated by the manufactured scandal surrounding stolen climate science emails from the University of East Anglia. The staff analysis, written by the majority staff to Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, explains how two of the key phrases used by climate deniers to trumpet their views have previously been explained in publicly-available, peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Here is the analysis:

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The hearing will be webcast at this link at 10am. Expect SwiftHack conspiracy theories from the Republicans on the committee.

With the international climate change talks in Copenhagen fast approaching, there is real urgency to reach diplomatic consensus on a planetary solution. In a hearing this Wednesday, the Select Committee will explore with climate scientists from the Obama administration the urgent, consensus view on our planetary problem: that global warming is real, and the science indicates that it is getting worse.

At the hearing, Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) will host two of America’s preeminent climate scientists, Dr. John Holdren and Dr. Jane Lubchenco.

Dr. Holdren is the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and was formerly a professor at Harvard University and the director of the acclaimed Woods Hole Research Center.

Dr. Lubchenco is the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States’ leading climate office.

The past decade has been the hottest in recorded history, with all of the years since 2001 being in the top 10 of hottest, according to NASA. This summer, the world’s oceans were the warmest in NOAA’s 130 years of record-keeping. Meanwhile, global heat-trapping pollution continues to rise.

WHAT: Select Committee hearing on the State of Climate Science

WHEN: 10 AM, Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

WHERE: B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC

WITNESSES:
Dr. John Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Here is Chairman Markey’s testimony:

Here is Rep. Periello’s testimony:

Here is Jack Bonner’s Testimony:

Here is Steve Miller’s Testimony:

Via Email.

Below is the statement of Eben Burnham-Snyder, spokesman for the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming:

“Because all testimony was not received by the Select Committee two business days or more prior to the hearing, the Select Committee has decided to postpone the investigative hearing into fraudulent letters sent to Congress.

“The Majority Staff of the Select Committee forwarded all testimony to the Minority Staff immediately upon receipt. The Select Committee charter calls for all witnesses to file testimony ‘at least two working days in advance of his or her appearance.’ Unfortunately, that timeframe was not met for this hearing.

“Both Chairman Markey and Ranking Member Sensenbrenner take the rules of the Committee and the House seriously, and both agree postponing the hearing is the proper course of action.

“The Select Committee will re-schedule the hearing soon.”

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.

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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.

This WSJ story, published late Thursday, contains a series of revelations:

The Washington lobbying firm that sent fake letters to lawmakers purporting to be from nonprofit groups opposed to climate-change legislation was “the victim of a fraud” perpetrated by a temporary employee who joined the firm “with the pre-determined intent of engaging in fraudulent activity,“ a lawyer for the firm has told congressional investigators.

Unbelievable. This is the same firm that stayed silent about the fraudulent letters prior to the House vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, despite knowing they were fraudulent several days in advance. Now we are supposed to believe that this whole thing is some sort of nefarious plot by a temp employee to sully their (already completely sullied) reputation?

Go on:

The lawyer, Steven R. Ross, also suggested in a letter that a federal investigation into the matter may be under way.

Good to know. Steven Ross is with Akin Gump, a massive law firm that has represented hundreds of notable clients, such as Mobil, Pacific Gas and Electric, Lukoil, Natural Gas Clearinghouse, Union Carbide and the governments of Columbia and China.

The story that keeps giving:

In the letter to Rep. Edward Markey (D., Mass.), dated Aug. 12 and viewed by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Ross, an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, said his client, Bonner & Associates, does not know “the complete motivation” of the employee but has referred the matter “to law enforcement authorities for proper investigation,” due to “the serious implications of his actions.”

This part about the “complete motivation” is tricky. On the one hand, it can be read — in the context of the “pre-determined intent” line above — as an insinuation that the temporary employee responsible for the letters was planted by political adversaries. On the other hand, the fact that a former employee described this type of deception as the norm rather than the exception points to a scenario in which the temp forged the letters because he or she knew that is what the bosses expected.

The story continues:

In his letter to Rep. Markey, Mr. Ross, Bonner’s attorney, doesn’t identify the Bonner employee who sent the fake letters but offers new details on how they were concocted, saying the employee in question “had the assistance of an individual located at the offices of a professional liability insurance provider who would sign the letters and fax them back” to the Bonner employee.

Odd to start pointing fingers two months after the fact, no?

The excuses keep coming:

The employee came to work for Bonner after answering an ad in Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, and worked for the firm for seven days before he was terminated.

Void of context, this seems like at least a halfway respectable excuse. But the fact is, Bonner and Associates always takes this fly-by-night approach to their work. Even in the midst of all this controversy they are hiring temps who can work well under pressure. It is far easier to deflect responsibility for mistakes and shady business practices when you can blame everything on a temp, right?

Finally, the ‘nobody could have predicted’ defense:

“While B&A takes full responsibility for what happened and recognizes that there are quality control and human resources improvements that can and will be made, it is difficult to defend against a person bent on committing fraud,” Mr. Ross’s letter states. “Due to being short-staffed and given the incredibly short time frame of this project” – less than two weeks – Mr. Ross says that “some letters were transmitted to Capitol Hill before they could be thoroughly reviewed.”

Who could have predicted that hiring basically anyone off the street, training them for two hours in a “white-collar sweatshop” and compensating them based on the quantity of letters they faxed to congress would lead to something like this?

Update: Bonner and Associates has now implemented a ‘No-Forgery’ policy.

Waxman-Markey Forged Letter Investigation Update: 5 More Letters Revealed, Dozens Still Must be Verified:

A Congressional investigation has discovered five new letters fraudulently sent without consent to Congress on a key energy and climate vote. These new letters purport to represent elderly services organizations and senior centers.

Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the letters today as part of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming’s ongoing investigation into the extent of fraudulent letters sent by Bonner & Associates — a so-called “astroturf” group subcontracted by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity — to influence members of Congress on the recently-passed Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill.

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Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming press release via email.

Faked Letters From Elderly Services and Senior Centers; Chairman Markey Demands Full Review of Remaining Letters

WASHINGTON (August 18, 2009) A Congressional investigation has discovered five new letters fraudulently sent without consent to Congress on a key energy and climate vote. These new letters purport to represent elderly services organizations and senior centers.

Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the letters today as part of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming’s ongoing investigation into the extent of fraudulent letters sent by Bonner & Associates — a so-called “astroturf” group subcontracted by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity — to influence members of Congress on the recently-passed Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill.

The dozen letters revealed today brings the total number of fraudulent letters to 13, now representing 9 different community groups. The letters released today were staged to appear as if they were sent by groups representing senior citizen services like the non-profit Erie Center on Health & Aging. Previous letters already made public were from the Charlottesville NAACP chapter, Creciendo Juntos, a hispanic advocacy organization, the Jefferson Area Board on Aging, and the American Association of University Women.

The letters released today are also the first set to show that letters were sent to Pennsylvania members Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) and Christopher Carney (D-Pa.), along with Tom Perriello (D-Va.). A full list of all the letters, with links to copies of the documents, is included below.

“Weve seen fear-mongering with our nations senior citizens with health care, and now were seeing fraud-mongering with senior citizens on clean energy,” said Chairman Markey. “Lately, democratic debate has been deceptively debased by fake facts and harsh rhetoric. We must return to an honest discussion of the issues, and ensure that this sort of campaign does not further poison the well of trustworthy debate.”

The letters were sent to the Select Committee in response to investigatory letters to Bonner & Associates and ACCCE. Dozens of letters still remain that must be verified as genuine or false–all told, 58 letters were sent to the three members of Congress. Chairman Markey has called on ACCCE and Bonner & Associates to fully verify whether the remaining several dozen letters were sent under false pretenses, or if they represent the views of the signers.

Below is a list of all fraudulent letters now received by the Select Committee:

Perriello:
Senior Center Inc., Charlottesville, VA
Creciendo Juntos, Charlottesville, VA [previously made public]
Jefferson Area Board on Aging, Charlottesville, VA [previously made public]
American Association of University Women, Charlottesville, VA [previously made public]
NAACP-Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA [5 letters] [previously made public]
NAACP-1, NAACP-2, NAACP-3, NAACP-4, NAACP-5

Dahlkemper:
Slippery Rock Senior Center, Slippery Rock, PA
Erie Center on Health & Aging, Eire, PA
Butler Senior Center, Lyndora, PA

Carney:
Dunmore Senior Citizens Center, Dunmore, PA