“MICHIGAN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES STAFFED & FUNDED BY CLIMATE ACTIVISTS” By MANDI RISKO
Billionaire-funded climate activists are embedded across the Michigan government, likely including AG Dana Nessel’s office – which is in the process of bringing forth a lawsuit against oil and Nat Gas
MICHIGAN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES STAFFED & FUNDED BY CLIMATE ACTIVISTS
OCTOBER 22, 2024 | MANDI RISKO
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Billionaire-funded climate activists are embedded across the Michigan government, likely including Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office – which is in the process of bringing forth a lawsuit
against oil and natural gas companies – according to public records.
Michigan Capitol Confidential reports that public records obtained by the watchdog group Government Accountability and Oversight reveal AG Nessel previously had conversations about hiring Special Assistant Attorneys General (SAAG) funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
Nessel responded favorably when pitched in 2019 about the SAAG program from the Bloomberg-funded State Energy and Environmental Impact Center (SEEIC) at New York University’s Law School:
“The center funds 17 law fellows who serve as special assistant attorneys general in various states, Skip Pruss of the consulting firm 5 Lakes Energy told Nessel’s office in an email.
‘State AGs recruit and select their own law fellows. (Although the program is completely transparent and ethical, it may engender backlash),’ Pruss wrote to Nessel. ‘The IC pays all costs associated with its services….’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Nessel responded.” (emphasis added)
EID Climate has questioned the existence of SAAGs in the Michigan AG’s office for years. The Washington Timesreported in 2020 similar emails that noted the SEEIC “is keenly interested in supporting the MI AG office,” to which MI Deputy Attorney General Kelly Keenan replied:
“This is very interesting. I will see about getting something scheduled.”
While it remains unclear what the MI AG’s staffing situation currently looks like, Nessel and Keenan’s positive replies – and Nessel’s recent steps toward filing a climate lawsuit – track with what we’ve seen in other states with Bloomberg-funded SAAG agreements.
“Buying a Government”
The NYU program was founded with a $6 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2017 and has placed climate lawyers in attorneys general offices in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington – many states which conveniently have also brought forth climate litigation.
In recent years, the program expanded to place law fellows in state public utility commissions, in addition to attorneys general offices. While the Michigan AG’s staffing is murky, the state’s Public Service Commission has confirmed the presence of Bloomberg-funded SAAGs in its office:
“‘The MPSC currently has three New York University fellows working for the Commission, which views the fellowships as a way to supplement the agency’s professional workforce without having to hire permanent full-time staff,’ Helms told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email.”
As Skip Pruss alluded to in 2019, the SEEIC has received widespread backlash for its lack of transparency and accountability. EID has covered the legal, ethical, and political questions in depth. Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill (R) has said that the program is “problematic” because “a private organization or individual can promote an overtly political agenda by paying the salaries of government employees.”
Similarly, American Thinker Deputy Editor Monica Showalter aptly summed up the situation that Bloomberg is “offering ‘gifts’ of ‘free’ left-wing lawyers to state attorney generals’ offices”:
“[Bloomberg]’s doing something quite a bit sneakier: He’s buying a government.”
Indeed, in response to SAAGs being hired in their respective states, Wisconsin and Minnesota legislators have considered legislation to block outside private interests from influencing state attorneys general offices, while Massachusetts was sued over its lack of transparency.
Climate Fellows Throughout Michigan Government
Michigan Capitol Confidential similarly reported that other agencies across Michigan’s government are being influenced by fellows from climate advocacy groups:
“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Council on Climate Solutions was staffed with people funded by at least one climate advocacy group, according to administration records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.”
State officials also reached out to the U.S. Energy Foundation to develop a statewide “Climate Service Network” as well as the “MI Healthy Climate Corps.” Kara Cook of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy wrote:
“Would love to find time to chat about additional opportunities for climate funders to invest in Michigan.”
“In future years, the network and corps would scale to hundreds of members with more defined project verticals, such as building decarbonization and expand to cover other Americorps programs working on climate-related or climate-adjacent projects across Michigan.” (emphasis added)
Even the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs stated they had two fellows from The U.S. Climate Alliance but are always “eager for more!”
Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) told Michigan Capitol Confidential that the arrangements and “conflicts of interest” were “not surprising”:
“From day one, [Whitmer] has pushed an extreme environmentalist agenda, letting conflicts of interest run wild and ignoring the consequences for hard-working Michiganders. From her attempts to shut down Line 5 to her expensive green energy mandates, she has shown that she’ll gladly raise costs on Michigan families to please far-left extremists.” (emphasis added)
Bottom Line: From the Michigan Attorney General’s office to Michigan agencies up and down the government, private billionaires and outside activists with an overt political agenda are embedding climate fellows to influence energy related decisions – of which taxpayers bear the burden and cost.
The influence of environmental/Socialist extremists seems worse than even I thought it could be....
They’re everywhere!