The Heartland Institute, a smallish Libertarian "Think" Tank recently made famous by the leak of a rather embarrassing set of incriminating documents, is now slated for investigation by the Congress of the United States.
The chair and ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Raul Grijavla, has initiated an investigation of Indur Goklany, an administrator at the Science and Technology Policy of the US Department of the Interior. It appears that Goklany was being paid by Heartland which raises a significant potential for conflict of interest.
The story broke at Think Progress.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
You know about the Heartland Strategy memo. It is one of several documents produced and used internally by the Heartland Institute, a minor Libertarian "Think" Tank, demonstrating some rather unsavory activities, which are now under preliminary investigation by the US Congress. The memo contains…
Peter Gleick has been cleared of faking a key memo. Who is Peter Gleick, and what is this memo of which we speak? Here is a refresher of events over the last 3 1/2 months:
You will recall that last February 14th, we were all given an interesting Valentine's Day present: A cache of documents had…
This seems to be fairly big news. The Heartland Institute is a conservative and libertarian "think" tank that cut its teeth on denying the dangers of cigarette smoking back in the 1990s. These days the Heartland Institute seems to be focused on Anthropogenic Climate Change Denialism and Science…
tags: Julie MacDonald, Interior Department, politics
Julie MacDonald, a Bush appointee who resigned earlier this month as Interior Department deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, is being investigated by Democrats because she was involved with delisting an endangered species to…
Hopefully they will get off scott free similar to the lying Bill Clinton when he was impeached & got nothing.
The Exxon Secrets bio on Golkany really has me wondering how this guy managed to stay employed by the Obama administration. E.g.
2000 D & D Foundation Julian Simon Fellow, Political Economy Research Center Visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (2002-2003)
Mr. Goklany has written two books published by the libertarian climate denying Cato Institute. The Improving State of the World: Why We're Living Longer, Healthier, More Comfortable Lives on a Cleaner Planet (Cato Institute, Washington, DC, 2007). The Precautionary Principle: A Critical Appraisal of Environmental Risk Assessment (Cato Institute, Washington, DC, 2001).
Mr. Goklany has published works with the conservative Reason Institute, an organization that denies the cause and effects of climate change. Misled on Climate Change: How the UN IPCC (and others) Exaggerate the Impact of Global Warming, Reason Foundation, Policy Study No. 399, December 2011. Wealth and Safety: The Amazing Decline in Deaths from Extreme Weather in an Era of Global Warming, 1900â2010, Reason Foundation, Policy Study No. 393, September 2011.
Heartland, Cato, AEI, Reason Foundation. What, no CEI?
Actually Dan, Clinton did not get off "scott free". He was punished. In any case, he didn't get a fair trial since the "independent" prosecutor had an agenda. I hope you recognize the difference between the manufactured scandels which plagued Cliton and the actual serious scandel of the Heartland Institute.
*sigh* IOKIYAR strikes again
"..since the "independent" prosecutor had an agenda.."
As did the presiding judge, as I recall.
I was kind of hoping that the investigation was by the IRS and that the whistleblower who exposed the political lobbying by a non-profit woould get a reward or something.
Maybe that is still in the works.
He's a Democrat -- how did we end up with a Democrat chairing a committee? In this Congress?
D.C. Sessions,
Rep. Grijalva's web page says he "serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources," and as the ranking member of the subcommittee on Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Land. His letter to Hastings and Markey, the Chairman and Ranking member of the committee on Natural Resources closes with "Please advise me whether the Committee will hold a hearing on these issues through Adam Sarvana in my office at (202) 225-2435."
Good news. Wonder what Congress'll find and when we'll find out more about it?
@IAlverant | February 22, 2012 3:39 PM :
IOKIYAR = ???
Any further threatening letters from Heartland or news on the fate of Peter Gleick you can share with us Greg Laden?
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) isn't the chair/ranking member, he wrote the letter to the chair (Rep. Doc Hastings) and to the ranking member (Rep. Ed Markey)
It's OK If You're A Republican.
DC: That's probably a mistake that he's ranking, but ranking members come from both parties.
Greg Laden @ # 11: ... ranking members come from both parties.
During any given session of Congress, in each chamber ranking members come from the minority party for that session/chamber.
If, say, the Senate has a different majority after this year's elections, all the current ranking members (if still in office) will take over the gavels, and all the current chairs (ditto) will become ranking members. No one can hold both positions (with the possible exception of The Human(oid) Chameleon, aka Sen. Joseph Lieberman).
http://heartland.org/indur-goklany
The Heartland Institute openly lists Indur Goklany as a contributor (specifically visiting fellow). I find it unlikely Heartland would do so if what they were doing is illegal.
It is illegal for government officials to take outside payment for work related to their job.