by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
As appearing in the Daily Sentinel
It is ironic to see Phillip Morris advertising its “vision of a smoke-free future,” and putting $1 billion into the Foundation for a Smoke Free World. Or to watch R.J. Reynolds spend millions of dollars on “youth tobacco prevention.” America’s largest tobacco company, Altria, trumpets its vision for “Moving Beyond Smoking.”
It seems bizarre for tobacco companies to finance ad campaigns designed to convince consumers not to buy their products. But we are now witnessing an even greater example of this phenomenon. The oil and gas industry’s primary trade association is doing an about-face on policies it has opposed for decades, under the guise of a new “Climate Action Framework.”
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is a $200 million-a-year behemoth among D.C. business groups, and its posh offices occupy the top floor of Capitol Hill’s newest development, displaying all the trappings of power, prestige, and influence. But a battle brewing within the organization for a few years has finally boiled to the surface over the new climate policies. It is a David and Goliath battle, but the giant is winning
