When a lawsuit was filed to block the nation's first major offshore wind farm off the Massachusetts coast, it appeared to be a straightforward clash between those who earn their living from the sea and others who would install turbines and underwater cables.
The fishing companies challenging federal permits for the Vineyard Wind project were from the Bay State as well as Rhode Island and New York, and a video made by the opponents featured a bearded fisherman.
The financial muscle behind the fight came from thousands of miles away. The Texas Public Policy Foundation was funded by oil and gas companies and Republican donors.
The group is promoting fossil fuels and trying to stop the American economy from transitioning to renewable energy. It is clear about its opposition to Vineyard Wind and other renewable energy projects.
The organization is undaunted even after Democrats in Congress passed the biggest climate law in United States history.
One of the biggest coal-fired power plants in the West is in Arizona. It called for loosened restrictions in Colorado. Legislation was adopted by four other states to punish financial institutions that scale back their investments in fossil fuel projects.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is spreading misinformation. With regular appearances on Fox and Friends and social media campaigns, the group's executives have sought to convince lawmakers and the public that a transition away from oil, gas and coal would harmAmericans.
They have frequently seized on current events to promote dubious narratives, such as pinning high gasoline prices on President Biden's climate policies, or claiming the winter of Texas was caused by unreliable wind energy.
State lawmakers are encouraged to punish companies that try to reduce carbon emissions. According to the group, the moral case for fossil fuels is that American prosperity is based on an economy that uses oil, gas and coal and that poor communities and developing nations need the same opportunities to grow.
Jeff Clark is the chief executive of the Advanced Power Alliance, an Austin-based trade group for renewable energy companies. They have advocated for offshore oil drilling for decades. When subsidies apply to renewable energy, they are against them. They want more restrictions on solar and wind. Fossil fuels are defended from threats to their market share by this organization.
On Thanksgiving, an executive at the group wished the world a high-carbon lifestyle. Decarbonization is dangerous.
The benefits of oil, gas and coal outweigh the risks, according to Mr. Isaac.
Mr. Isaac disagreed with the argument that it was dangerous.
The scientific consensus is that the burning of fossil fuels is making weather more extreme, and if not quickly and sharply abated, will lead to more catastrophic floods, heat, storms, and social unrest.
David Michaels, an epidemiologist at the George Washington School of Public Health who has studied corporate influence campaigns, said that just as the tobacco industry had front groups, this is also a part of the fossil fuel misinformation. The role of these organizations is not to provide useful information to the public, but to promote the interests of their sponsors, which are often against public health.
The executive director of the foundation denied that it was a front for fossil fuel interests. He said that the characterization was incorrect. The foundation's policies have nothing to do with energy, according to him.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation was founded in 1989 by James Leininger, who sold medical beds. Criminal justice, immigration, border security, taxes, and energy were some of the causes embraced by the organization.
Mr. Leininger donated the proceeds of his book to Mr.Perry. The group was told about the fight to save America. Tim Dunn, an oilman who is the vice chairman of the board, was one of the wealthy conservatives who started writing checks.
The Texas Capitol is visible from the group's headquarters, which is a six-story building in downtown Austin.
The group followed the energy secretary to Washington, opening an office there and putting senior officials in the administration.
The Council on Environmental Quality was nominated by Mr. Trump to be led by Kathleen Hartnett White. Ms. White's nomination was withdrawn by the White House after she stumbled at a confirmation hearing.
The Department of the Interior has an acting assistant secretary of fish, wildlife and parks. The chief executive of the foundation worked at the White House.
The onetime policy adviser to Senator Ted Cruz left the Department of Energy and went to work for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Mr. McNamee is now a lawyer.
The assistant secretary at the interior department is Douglas W. Domenech, who ran the foundation. He was found to have violated federal ethics rules when he met with foundation officials to work for a former employer.
Donations increased from $4.7 million in 2010 to $25.6 million in the most recent year for which records are available. The group was able to expand beyond the Lone Star state.
Most of the funding comes from individuals, according to the foundation. The Texas Public Policy Foundation doesn't have to reveal its donors. Fossil fuel companies have given money to the group, according to tax filings.
The foundation has received at least $4 million from conservative donors. Koch brothers have a long history of funding efforts to block climate action. Mike Nasi, a top lawyer for coal companies who is a senior adviser to the Life:Powered project, has worked for the oil and gas industry.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation supports policies similar to those of the fossil fuel industry. Its work directly affected a donor.
For more than four decades, the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona, burned coal from a nearby mine, releasing mercury, arsenic, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides from its smokestacks, along with carbon dioxide.
The rapid expansion of cheap, natural gas starting around 2007, combined with new emissions rules during the Obama administration made the Navajo Generating Station too expensive to operate, and it was slated for closing by the end of the year.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation produced a video that portrayed the coal plant as not only a major employer for the Navajo nation but also a part of its culture. The girl spoke over the flute music.
She said that the plant's three smokestacks were the heart of the land. I sometimes think I can hear it.
The effort wasn't enough to keep the Generating Station open. A request for comment was not returned by the energy company.
The Vineyard Wind project, which will consist of 84 turbines located 14 miles off the coast, was the focus of the foundation last year.
Attorneys for the organization filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of fishing companies and the foundation produced a cinematic video to promote the case. The video suggests that tax subsidies for wind turbine are beneficial to foreign governments.
She said she was willing to look past the foundation's work because she hadn't been aware of it.
She said that the fishing industry had a need for someone to represent them. You look for people who can help when you are facing complete destruction.
Since President Biden came to office promising to make climate action a top priority, the organization has only increased its efforts to combat what it sees as the overblown response to global warming.
Even though utility officials said the primary cause was the state's natural gas providers, the foundation blamed the storms on frozen wind turbine blades. Republican politicians and commentators agreed with the message.
Despite the fact that Texas now produces almost a third of its energy from wind power, the Texas Public Policy Foundation is still campaigning against the power source.
The law is being shaped by it. A former state lawmaker drafted a bill to stop the state from doing business with banks and companies that were not in line with the state's values. The law was signed by the governor of Texas.
Four other states, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma, have passed similar laws with the encouragement of Mr. Isaac. Some states have stopped doing business with financial institutions due to that.
The Environmental Protection Agency is being sued by the foundation for its designation of greenhouse gases as a danger to human health and welfare, and this summer the foundation objected to a proposal at the Securities and Exchange Commission that would require public companies to disclose the financial risks they face from climate change.
The Texas group is poised to regain influence in Washington as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives.
He said it gave them a leg up. Staff on the Hill have been educated on our research, positions and messaging. There will be more of an impact in Washington over the next six years. It's wonderful.
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