Message From the Editor
It’s been an eye-opening week as billionaires and CEOs flock to Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump to curry favor with his new administration and give million-dollar gifts to his inauguration fund. "In the first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said at a Monday mid-day press conference. “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
But these activities are business as usual for six billionaires and climate denial groups who, for years, have been fawning over, and backing, many of Trump’s new climate-denier cabinet picks now in line to take charge of environmental regulations in the U.S.
Take, for instance, fracking tycoon Harold Hamm, as DeSmog’s Joe Fassler points out in his story on these backers. Hamm, who made billions drilling for oil in North Dakota’s Bakken Formation, gave more than $1.6 million to Trump’s re-election campaign this year. He endorsed at least two Trump cabinet appointees: Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright (Department of Energy), who calls climate crisis denier Bjorn Lomborg a “friend,” and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (Department of Interior), who oversaw actions against Dakota Access pipeline protesters.
And then there’s “oil-soaked Christian conservative,” Tim Dunn, who was one of the Trump campaign’s biggest donors in 2024. Dunn has numerous links to recently announced cabinet nominees — starting with the fact that he sits on the board of the America First Policy Institute, a climate denial group that culled many of Trump’s picks and calls for dramatic expansion of domestic oil and gas production.
Is this the kind of government we want regulating our climate? One supported by billionaires looking to protect their fortunes while dismantling environmental protections and underming the climate movement?
Remember, Biden’s handover to Trump and his new cabinet picks is just 36 days away. During that time, Biden’s trying to get a federal court to stop litigation on permit approvals for new liquified natural gas export terminals before Trump ends the pause.
Issues surrounding LNG and fracking pipelines, and the industry behind them, have been a worldwide problem, impacting low-income communities for years. DeSmog takes a look at an Indigenous Canadian organization using every tool at their disposal to fight a $6 billion fracked gas pipeline that would cross territory their people have lived on for thousands of years. Read the full story.
DeSmog will continue fighting for the climate with our compelling investigations to expose the fossil fuel industry’s deny and delay tactics – so please share widely. And help us to help you: 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
P.S. Readers like you power our journalism dedicated to climate accountability. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?
6 Fracking Billionaires and Climate Denial Groups Behind Trump’s Cabinet
— By Joe Fassler (7 min. read) —
Trump’s nominees are backed by major players in the world of climate obstruction – from Project 2025 and Koch network fixtures to oil-soaked Christian nationalists.
Inside the Battle Over Indigenous-Owned LNG Project Ksi Lisims
— By Daniel Mesec (8 min. read) —
The project’s oil and gas backers say the project is a win for all Indigenous peoples. But neighboring First Nations disagree.
Russian Gas Giant Given Access to Global LNG Summit Alongside German Government
— By Edward Donnelly (6 min. read) —
The decision to allow Novatek to attend the flagship conference was described as “disappointing” and “disturbing” by campaigners.
Who’s Funding This ‘Newspaper’ Mailed to Potential Jurors in Greenpeace’s Trial?
— By Emily Sanders (6 min) —
A dark money trail linked to pipeline company Energy Transfer could be behind a mysterious mailer targeting North Dakota residents in the lead-up to its trial with Greenpeace.
Tufton Street Climate Denial Group Loses Multiple Board Members
— By Adam Barnett (3 min. read) —
Lord Frost is one of several departures from the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which has links to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
From the Climate Disinformation Database: Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservative think tank based in Austin, Texas, founded by James R. Leininger in 1989. Critics have said that the TPPF takes financial contributions from a small subgroup of corporations, and this may influence group's research and advocacy. For example, Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, told the Texas Observer, “TPPF‘s donors are a Who’s Who of Texas polluters, giant utilities and big insurance companies. TPPF is thinking the way its donors want it to think.” A 2010 list of funders surfaced that revealed significant contributions from Koch Industries, Koch family Foundations, the Tobacco Industry, ExxonMobil, the Heartland Institute, and many others.
Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.
