Gabe Elsner The fossil fuel-funded Americans for Prosperity wrote a coalition letter on November 3, 2015 to Congress signed by 21 organizations calling for the elimination of the oil export ban and advocating against tax credits for solar or wind energy production.
As we have highlighted in past research, elected officials and the public should make note that while these groups claim to be “free market” think tanks and non-profits, in reality, they are operating as front groups for the Koch Brothers and other fossil fuel interests with a financial interest in eliminating the crude oil export ban and stoping the growth of renewable energy like wind and solar.
The Energy and Policy Institute examined the list of signatories and found the following:
- 19 of the 21 organizations signing the letter have either received funding from fossil fuel interests like the Koch brothers or ExxonMobil or have ties to the Koch political network.
- 18 of the 21 organizations have known financial ties to fossil fuel interests.
- 15 of the 21 organizations are directly tied to or serve essential roles in the Koch political network.
| Organization | State | Fossil Fuel Funding? | Koch Network? | Description |
| 60 Plus Association | DC | Yes | Yes | Funding from Center to Protect Patient Rights, a Koch funding passthrough; also funded by Freedom Partners, the Koch Brothers’ secret bank; also received funding from Koch-network’s TC4 Trust |
| American Commitment | DC | Yes | Yes | Koch-funded group, almost entirely funded by Koch passthroughs Freedom Partners, Center to Protect Patient Rights |
| American Energy Alliance | DC | Yes | Yes | Funded by ExxonMobil, Koch Brothers and Freedom Partners; President is former Koch lobbyist |
| Americans for Prosperity | DC | Yes | Yes | Founded and funded by Koch Brothers |
| Americans for Tax Reform | DC | Yes | Yes | Funded by American Petroleum Institute and Koch Brothers; member of State Policy Network |
| Competitive Enterprise Institute | DC | Yes | Yes | Funding from ExxonMobil and Koch Brothers; Member of State Policy Network |
| Energy Makes America Great, Inc. | DC | Yes | Yes | Funded by New Mexico Oil and Gas Association; part of Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy |
| Freedom Works | DC | Yes | Yes | Funded by DonorsTrust; Break up of Citizens for Sound Economy (funded by the Koch Brothers) created FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity (funded by the Koch Brothers) |
| Less Government | DC | Front group managed by consultant Seyton Motley; no website exists at lessgovernment.org, the organization’s listed web URL | ||
| R Street Institute | DC | Yes | Connected to Koch political network, was part of Heartland Institute | |
| Taxpayers Protection Alliance | DC | Yes | Connections to Koch-funded Americans for Job Security and Alliance for America’s Future | |
| Tea Party Nation | DC | Yes | For profit company founded by Judson Phillips, organized first Tea Party convention | |
| Frontiers of Freedom | VA | Yes | Yes | Funding from Koch Brothers and ExxonMobil; funded by tobacco industry |
| American Encore | AZ | Yes | Yes | Koch-funded pass-through involved in attacks on solar in Arizona; funneled money from utility Arizona Public Service to front groups. |
| National Taxpayers Union | DC | Yes | Yes | Koch and Tobacco funding; part of the State Policy Network |
| National Black Chamber of Commerce | DC | Yes | Yes | Fossil fuel funding, Koch funding |
| Institute for Liberty | Yes | Connected to Koch political network | ||
| Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce | VA | Yes | Yes | Koch-funded, served as “de facto bank” in the Koch political network |
| Center for Individual Freedom | VA | Tobacco industry funding | ||
| Americans for Competitive Enterprise | DC | Yes | Yes | Founded by three staff members of Competitive Enterprise Institute, which has received fossil fuel funding |
| American Council for Capital Formation | DC | Yes | Koch-funded |
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