"The Sierra Club took $26 million from one of the nation's largest natural gas companies for three years while at the same time hawking natural gas as a clean, green energy source, the group admitted Thursday.
The natural gas cash came between 2007 and 2010 as the Sierra Club was increasing its efforts to fight coal-fired powered plants, the group's executive director, Michael Brune, wrote in a blog post.
At the time, the Sierra Club, "working with the best science at the time and with extensive input from staff and volunteers, determined that natural gas, while far from ideal as a fuel source, might play a necessary role in helping us reach the clean energy future our children deserve," Brune wrote.
Meanwhile, the gas industry was working to position itself as a cleaner alternative to coal, especially as Congress debated climate change legislation.
"The idea was that we shared at least one common purpose — to move our country away from dirty coal," Brune wrote.
Time Magazine, which first reported the news Thursday afternoon, said most of the donations came from Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon.
Former Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope often spoke warmly about gas as an alternative to coal in power plants. But now, the group is considering calling for natural gas to be phased out by 2050 — about 20 years after it wants coal eliminated.
Now, Brune says the group definitely isn't a fan of natural gas, due to concerns over hydraulic fracturing."....
via Tom Nelson
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