Influença: NGOs, ethanol battle for support, high ground

In Washington, a report released by Friends of the Earth demonstrates the ways in which the biofuels industry influences legislation through lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions. The report, entitled “Buying Bills: How the Biofuels Industry Influences Congress to Waste Your Taxpayer Dollars” is based on public data that shows industry lobbying and campaign contributions in excess of $22 million in recent years.  Specifically, the report draws attention to legislators who have received significant contributions from biofuel industry political action committees (PACs) and industry employees and who have also advanced legislation friendly toward the industry—including more than $9.5 billion in taxpayer funded support annually and the erosion of environmental safeguards in biofuels policy.

Meanwhile, Jim Nussle, former eight-term Congressman and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush, was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Growth Energy, the coalition of ethanol supporters announced today. Nussle, who has served on the Board of Directors of Growth Energy since February 2009, started in the newly-created position on November 1. Jim Nussle currently serves as President and CEO of The Nussle Group, offering strategic consulting. A native of Iowa, Nussle served 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and rose to become Chairman of the House Budget Committee.

At the same time researchers, Sarah Pilgrim and Mark Harvey, publishing in Sociological Research Online, found that in the case of indirect land use change (ILUC), “the development of NGO policy has been driven more by narrow political opportunities for influence than by broader and more coherent policy responses to global climate change or economic development, or indeed rigorous assessment of the scientific evidence.” We are re-featuring this paper, which examines the political motivations of Friends of the Earth, in light of the FoE report, and also be cause, frankly, we goofed the link in our previous Digest note.