Message From the Editor

Hurricane Milton was one of the most rapidly intensifying Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, fueled by the Gulf of Mexico’s exceptionally warm waters that experts say were made more likely by a fossil fueled-climate. Thankfully, while the worst fears for this monster storm weren’t realized, it still left at least 15 people dead and caused an incredible $50 billion in estimated damages on the heels of the devastating Hurricane Helene. 

The warnings to evacuate Florida’s west coast likely saved many lives. However, as DeSmog’s Sharon Kelly writes, as millions attempted to flee the path of Milton, reports surged that some airlines were jacking up their prices for flights out of Florida – some airlines like United and American that have long lobbied against climate regulations. If you have to fly, flying is already awful enough these days without alleged price gouging during climate-induced extreme weather evacuations. Get the full story.

Profiting off of the climate impacts their industry helped worsen? Sounds like a page out of the oil and gas industry’s playbook.

Another page from that playbook is portraying a climate-warming product like natural gas, or methane, as “safe, clean, and environmentally friendly.” But that strategy, as NW Natural, a gas utility based in Oregon, has recently found itself, can end up with legal consequences. Multnomah County, Oregon, home to Portland, added NW Natural to its climate deception lawsuit aiming to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the lethal heat dome that affected the Pacific Northwest in 2021.

Specifically citing the way NW Natural “has routinely misrepresented” gas’s climate harms, the Oregon county hands the utility the dubious honor of becoming the first gas utility to be sued for climate deception. Read more.

The oil and gas industry views these climate lawsuits as a very real threat, and for years, has been fighting back, not just in trying to get these lawsuits dismissed in court, but also, as revealed with stunning new insight this week, directly through a group whose stated aim is to “bring attention to and push back on” those lawsuits. I’m talking about a group called the Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP), which as regular DeSmog contributor Geoff Dembicki writes over at The New Republic, “has defended Exxon, BP, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and others against lawsuits seeking to hold the oil and gas industry liable for deceiving the public about climate change and make it pay for damages associated with a warmer climate.”

But while the nation’s largest oil and gas lobbyist, the American Petroleum Institute, publicly and directly funds MAP, we’ve never had the receipts for any individual oil companies. Now we do.

Dembicki reports for the first time that BP America has quietly funded MAP to the tune of $550,000, according to “confidential” corporate records gathered by subpoena during the House and Senate Democrats’ investigation of Big Oil’s obstruction of climate action. The funding, detailed in part in a 2018 email between BP executives, appears to be part of a $5 million “Defend BP” initiative that offers “the ability to quickly defend the company’s reputation and license to operate.” Dive in for more on the fight against climate lawsuits.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter. 

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

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Image credit: Jon Cutter/Flickr

The First Gas Utility Sued for Climate Deception

— By Emily Sanders (6 min. read) —

Multnomah County, Oregon, says NW Natural “engaged in an enterprise of misrepresentation” about its products’ harm to the climate.

Companies That Fought Climate Action Now Accused of Price Gouging Hurricane Milton Evacuees

— By Sharon Kelly (7 min) —

For years, United, American, and other airlines have led massive lobbying efforts against regulations to prevent climate change.

Trump Will ‘Kill’ Climate Budgets, Key Ally Tells Heritage Event

— By Sam Bright (3 min. read) —

Robert Wilkie was speaking at a conference co-hosted by the group behind the radical Project 2025 agenda.

Climate Denier Tony Abbott Dumped as Government Trade Advisor

— By Sam Bright (2 min. read) —

All Conservative appointees to the Board of Trade have been binned by the new Labour government.

Greens Pressure London Mayor to Ban Fossil Fuel Ads on Public Transport

— By TJ Jordan (2 min. read) —

London Assembly member cites a DeSmog investigation that documented hundreds of fossil fuel ads on the city’s transport network.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Manufacturers’ Accountability Project

Manufacturers’ Accountability Project (MAP) is a campaign of the powerful U.S. industry group, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which quietly launched it in November 2017 to push back against climate change–related lawsuits affecting the manufacturing industry. NAM claims that a “coordinated campaign jeopardizes the ability of all manufacturers to continue growing and providing jobs to millions of Americans.” NAM hired Phil Goldberg as special counsel to help MAP fight against climate change lawsuits filed against oil companies. Goldberg formerly worked as a lobbyist for the coal industry, and his law firm Shook, Hardy & Bacon has a history of defending the tobacco industry.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.