Web of “green” corruption bigger than Oregon scandal

It’s not often that a governor resigns in disgrace during an on-going FBI investigation, which is why Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber’s resignation has garnered national media attention. But, this particular scandal is much bigger than just another politician caught in a tangle of corruption. It’s about the corruption that runs deep in extreme “green” energy groups, corruption that operates under-the-radar and all too often goes ignored.

The Kitzhaber scandal has renewed interest and raised questions of how extreme environmental groups unethically influence Democrat politicians and, in turn, the policy-making process. Kitzhaber’s resignation has worked to catalyze national coverage of topics Shift first exposed.

Shift investigation exposed “green” groups’ influence in WA

Last year, Shift exposed a series of emails obtained from a public records investigation that proved how extreme environmental groups exerted undue influence on policies—including Jay Inslee’s fuel mandate—crafted for the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCC) climate agreement. Top architects of the agreement received private funding from green energy groups during the policy-making process. Groups linked to the Kitzhaber scandal, particularly Tom Steyer-funded Energy Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, were involved in providing financial benefits to advisors involved in the PCC climate agreement like Kitzhaber’s fiancée Cylvia Hayes and Inslee advisor Jay Manning.

The National Review’s John Fund recently highlighted emails first published by Shift to provide evidence of the deep involvement of outside environmental organizations, and Tom Steyer, in the PCC climate agreement. Specifically, the National Review points to emails from Dan Carol—the same man who arranged for Hayes’ fellowship with the Clean Economy Development Center (CEDC) then got hired as a Kitzhaber staff member with a generous salary—referring to the offices of the governors (Oregon, Washington and California) pushing a climate agenda funded by “major environmental donors,” including Steyer.

Tom Steyer’s fingerprints on Inslee’s green agenda

A lengthy investigation allowed Shift to uncover Steyer’s deep involvement in Jay Inslee’s extreme green agenda. As Shift reported last year, emails from those involved in the PCC climate agreement—including Jay Manning and Dan Carol—revealed a careful adherence, and deference, to the wills of extreme environmental groups and Tom Steyer.

The scandal that has unfolded in Oregon, as well as Shift’s work in exposing how the same groups involved in Kitzhaber’s downfall are active in Washington, has managed to drive new questions about how green groups, “consultants,” and Democrat governors are acting in concert in ways the public would view as corrupt.

“Green” advisors, groups and governors do not have “clean” motives

The “green” advisors strategically placed in Democrat governors’ administrations, the extreme environmental groups financing policy-making efforts and the Democrat governors who benefit from it all do not have “clean” motives. They are looking out for their best interests, not the public’s. It’s blatant corruption conducted in a shockingly nonchalant manner. Fund writes,

By now, it must be clear that just because green-energy advocates claim the “cleanest” of motives, they haven’t overcome the all-too-common desire to reap personal profit at the expense of the general public. “The modern green machine is a network of wealthy foundations and consultant groups that finance activists who promote and advise sympathetic politicians,” the Wall Street Journal editorial page observed on Saturday.

“Green” corruption not unique to Oregon

As Shift recently stated, the financial influence of extreme environmental groups on “green” advisors acting in an official capacity in the offices of Democrat governors is not unique to the Kitzhaber administration—it’s apparent in Inslee’s as well. It is imperative that Washington media outlets launch the same level of investigation as was done in Oregon to discover just how heavily dark money from outside environmental groups influences the policies of our green governor.

This week, Shift has taken to the radio waves to explain how national media outlets are finally beginning to pay attention to how extreme green groups exert influence on Democrat governors and how the same groups involved in the Oregon scandal are at work in Washington State. State media outlets can no longer turn a blind eye to the corruption so apparent in Inslee’s administration.