King of Denial II
January 30th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
A few days ago we wrote about state Rep. Phil King’s sunny belief that global warming just ain’t happening. It’s now our duty to report a certain inconvenient truth: The King of Denial is awash in campaign contributions from fossil fuel-related industries. We know it’s hard to believe, but, alas, the Weatherford Republican has accepted at least $163,400 since 2004 from climate-changing oil, gas, and coal interests, according to figures provided by Texans for Public Justice. TPJ identified 49 energy-related corporations, PACs, individuals, and associations that made contributions to King in the past two years.
Top contributions emanate from TXU ($21,000), the Dallas-based utility that wants to build 11 coal-fired power plants; American Electric Power ($10,000), the largest utility in the nation; Devon Energy ($1,500), a major natural gas well driller in the Fort Worth area; Reliant Energy ($11,500), a Houston-based power generator and electric retailer; and Occidental Petroleum Corp. ($3,000), the largest oil producer in Texas. In other words, Phil King may have reasons other than his general vacuity to deny that the burning of fossil fuels is driving the earth’s temperature tantrum.
Not coincidently, King chairs the House Regulated Industries Committee where he oversees laws that affect the utility industry, a major consumer of natural gas and coal. Any legislation that would reel in electricity deregulation or mess with TXU’s plans to build 11 coal plants will come through King’s fiefdom.
We know where King gets his money, but where does he get his information? While we were mulling this over we remembered something: In November, we had the privilege of hearing Mr. King address a roomful of corporate functionaries from the energy sector who were assembled to discuss electricity matters. King’s speech followed a hurried PowerPoint presentation by one Myron Ebell, a professional climate change skeptic employed by the corporate-funded Competitive Enterprise Institute. (In 2005 Greenpeace labeled Ebell one of its “Climate Criminals” for being a member of a “pack of paid anti-environmentalists, naysayers and skeptics.”)
Ebell cheered the “huge revival of coal around the world” and assured the crowd that “the current rate of warming is modest” if happening at all. After that enlightening discussion, King began by saying that as a legislator one is “constantly invited to speak on subjects you know nothing about.” That got a few knowing chuckles. Then, channeling Ebell, King told everyone that “the global warming issues are at best highly speculative.” In any case, he said, “We’re gonna build coal plants. It’s readily available and it’s much cheaper than natural gas.” King said he wanted to see the retail price of electricity come down, but was opposed to any legislative tampering with the market. “Coal seems to me the only short- and mid-term solution” to high prices and energy demand.
We are reminded of a quotation usually attributed to Upton Sinclair:
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.
