The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks

[Valin]

The Nation:

 

Ken Silverstein

May 21, 2013

 

The Center for American Progress, Washingtons leading liberal think tank, has been a big backer of the Energy Departments $25 billion loan guarantee program for renewable energy projects. CAP has specifically praised First Solar, a firm that received $3.73 billion under the program, and its Antelope Valley project in California.

 

Last year, when First Solar was taking a beating from congressional Republicans and in the press over job layoffs and alleged political cronyism, CAPs Richard Caperton praised Antelope Valley in his testimony to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, saying it headed up his list of innovative projects receiving loan guarantees. Earlier, Caperton and Steve Spinner
a top Obama fundraiser who left his job at the Energy Department monitoring the issuance of loan guarantees and became a CAP senior fellowhad written an article cross-posted on CAPs website and its Think Progress blog, stating that Antelope Valley represented the cutting edge of the clean energy economy.

 

Though the think tank didnt disclose it, First Solar belonged to CAPs Business Alliance, a secret group of corporate donors, according to internal lists obtained by The Nation. Meanwhile, José Villarreala consultant at the power-
house law and lobbying firm Akin Gump, who provides strategic counseling on a range of legal and policy issues for 
corporationswas on First Solars board until April 2012 while also sitting on the board of CAP, where he remains a member, according to the groups latest tax filing.

 

(Snip)

 

H/T Via Meadia