By EnergizeRI in
Rhode Island’s Future
EnergizeRI and our carbon pricing proposal have recently come under
attack from the Heartland Institute.
We are taking this opportunity to reach out, set the record
straight and shed some light on the work and reputation of this group as you
consider their comments on carbon pricing legislation here in Rhode Island.
The Heartland Institute claims it was created to “discover, develop, and promote free-market
solutions to social and economic problems”.
However, upon review of the organization’s body of work, it is
clear they operate on a platform of climate change denial. In fact, the
organization is well known as one of the nation’s leading climate change
deniers.
They are funded by groups such as the Koch Brothers, Big Tobacco, and Exxon Mobile. The only thing that Heartland
seems to promote is misinformation.
EDITOR's NOTE: Here is a table showing a partial list ("A" through "C") of Heartland Institute funders:
You can see the ENTIRE list from the Heartland Institute's own fund-raising plan by CLICKING HERE and reviewing pages 22 through 27. The entire document supports EnergizeRI's claims in this article.
This is the same group that included scientists on a list of
“climate deniers” even after they claimed they were being misrepresented and
asked to be removed.
This is the same group that to this day denies the link between
secondhand smoke and cancer, claiming “smoking in moderation has few, if any, adverse health effects“.
This is the same group that erected a billboard of the Unabomber
with the caption “I still believe in global warming, do you?” and called
it a success.
Heartland’s interest is clearly not in “finding and promoting
ideas that empower people” as they claim but instead to allow their funders to
manipulate credible sources and scientific facts. They manipulate the public to
their own benefit and operate without repercussions.
To be very clear, we here at EnergizeRI are proud to have a group
like the Heartland Institute as a critic. We are even prouder to share that
distinction with people like Pope Francis and President Obama.
There are legitimate debates to be had about the best way to
address climate change, but pretending it isn’t happening or that we are
powerless to stop it helps no one.
We are already seeing the effects of climate change here in our
state.
No Rhode Islander will deny the damage that was caused by
Hurricane Sandy in Westerly and Charlestown.
No one can deny the damage caused by the microbursts in Cranston
or the severe flooding witnessed in Warwick.
All over the state Rhode Islanders are dealing with the fallout
and leading climate scientists believe it will only get worse.
Climate change denial is no longer part of the national
conversation and it should not be part of the policy debate here in Rhode
Island.
All studies completed on our proposal to this point have shown
that Carbon Pricing would create, not reduce jobs.
The EnergizeRI Act is projected to add about 2,000 new jobs in
the first few years alone and about 4,000 in total.
The reasons for this are fairly simple. Rhode Islanders spend
about three billion dollars a year to import the fossil fuels we use for our
energy needs. The reality is that, every year, Rhode Islanders’ money is being
sent to strengthen someone else’s economy.
Think about that missed opportunity – three billion dollars that
could be circulating in our local communities, that could be spent in our
stores, that could be invested in our homes, that could create revenue for our
state.
The EnergizeRI Act would create a new “Clean Energy and Jobs
Fund” to make renewable energy and energy efficiency installations cheaper and
more accessible to small businesses and low-income homes.
By focusing more on energy efficiency and local renewable energy
production, Rhode Island could keep a greater portion of those three billion
dollars from flying off to Texas or Saudi Arabia and instead put those dollars
to work strengthening our local economy.
The choice between a strong economy and a safe environment
is a false one. We can have both.
Finally, carbon pricing is recognized worldwide as one of the
most effective emissions reductions tools.
Seventy-four countries, 23 subnational jurisdictions, and more
than 1,000 companies and investors expressed support for a price on carbon
ahead of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit.
Locally, the REMI study estimates that carbon pricing, as
proposed in the EnergizeRI Act, would get us halfway to the Resilient RI goals
all on its own.
Carbon pricing is an effective tool at both saving our
environmental and strengthening our economy.
That’s why it’s so crucial that groups like Heartland not be
allowed to control our future.
We only have a small window to commit to bold action to fight
climate change. Every minute that we spend listening to their misinformation
just slows down our government taking the necessary steps and makes the
consequences of our inaction more severe.
We can’t allow that to happen.
Right now Heartland is requesting private meetings with our
representatives. It’s important that they know the truth about who they are
dealing with.
Sign the petition and
tell our elected officials that groups like Heartland have no place in
conversations about our future.
Additional information about the EnergizeRI Act is available at EnergizeRI.org
The EnergizeRI Coalition is a
broad group of Rhode Islanders working to pass the Energize RI Act in the Rhode
Island Legislature. The group includes non-profits, businesses, environmental
groups, and universities who care about RI's people and economy.