Real Koch Facts: Montana

With Anti-Environmental Pitch, Gianforte Proves He’s The Kochs’ Through And Through

March 11, 2016

Montana gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte has President Obama’s environmental rules in his cross-hairs. On Thursday, the Republican said he wants to “wrangle up” the president’s Clean Power Plan if he takes office.

According to E&E News,

Gianforte’s targets include federal sage grouse conservation plans, U.S. EPA’s Clean Water Rule and one Obama administration regulation he can’t bring himself to call by its formal name: “The Costly Power Plan” is Gianforte’s term for the Clean Power Plan, the president’s attempt to limit carbon emissions from the power sector.

Gianforte’s opposition to the regulations falls perfectly in line with the Koch brothers’ agenda. In November, Americans for Prosperity published a press release that similarly challenged Governor Steve Bullock for implementing President Obama’s climate change rules. Gianforte is literally following in their footsteps — predictable since he’s a handpicked Koch candidate.

The climate change deniers have used their dark money channels to stealthily back the […]

Kochs (Yet Again) Caught Placing A Generic, Misleading Op-ed

March 2, 2016

Not for the first time, the Kochs just got caught placing the same misleading and formulaic op-ed in multiple papers, across multiple states.

A formulaic opinion column, (most commonly titled) “[X state] Should Put Carbon Regulation On Ice,” by American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle has appeared in 10 outlets across 7 states over the last week-and-a-half. The Kochs opted for 35+ states last time this happened, but they’re being understandably cautious after getting caught and called out.

American Energy Alliance’s Koch connection comes in the form of a whopping $5 million that Koch front groups sent the organization between 2010 and 2014. But that’s not all: Thomas Pyle, the group’s president and op-ed’s author, is also a former lobbyist for Koch Industries.

It isn’t surprising that the Kochs are trying to impose their selfish policy agenda at the state level. That’s what they do with ALEC and their policy campaigns executed through Americans For Prosperity and […]

Hypocrisy Alert: Gianforte’s Empty Campaign Finance Pledge

February 3, 2016

Montana’s likely Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte wants to have his cake and eat it too on campaign finance – but it won’t be that easy for the Koch crony. Gianforte has pledged not to accept campaign donations from special interests, but as the AP noted this week, he’s “sidestepped questions about whether he would call on outside groups to refrain from spending funds on his behalf.”

It’s no wonder Gianforte wants to keep quiet on shady,outside groups spending on his behalf: he’s a handpicked candidate of the Kochs’ Aegis PAC. Aegis, shady political consulting firm that had a “blessing” from the Kochs at their inception, created a new, secretive nonprofit in 2014 that spent hundreds of thousands in dark money on strategically timed attack ads in a GOP primary and helped raise money for the Kochs’ chosen candidates, just like they’re doing for Gianforte. Gianforte may think he can pull the wool over the eyes of Montanans with […]