Response to Washington Post Account of CEI’s Victory on Paris Climate Decision
Competitive Enterprise Institute President Kent Lassman released the following statement in response to Robert O’Harrow’s article in The Washington Post about CEI’s Myron Ebell, the Cooler Heads Coalition, and their work relevant to President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. The article also challenges the role and independence of think tanks in public policy debates.
“Although The Washington Post’s story about CEI, Myron Ebell, and the Cooler Heads Coalition correctly identifies the success that CEI and the Cooler Heads organizations have had debunking global warming alarmism and exposing the devastating, regulatory onslaught that comes along with it, the Post fails to show Americans how public policy groups like CEI help cut through the rhetoric and bring people together on the merits of policies rather than short-sighted politics. Thanks to Myron and Cooler Heads, millions of people continue to have access to reliable and affordable energy, a resource that has lifted people out of poverty around the globe.
“The Post spends a lot of space questioning CEI’s nonprofit status and activities, while conveniently ignoring groups 10 times our size. These organizations advocate for radical changes in our national energy policies and rely upon the very same IRS provisions. We can, and should, debate what the climate science shows and the policies we should implement as a result. But, what we cannot stand for are ideologues who weaponize data, spread junk science, and stoke fears to force political decisions that will take away Americans’ freedoms, undermine the U.S. Constitution, and jeopardize our national interests.”