# Just the facts: PUC summit panel one

*Published:* 2009-09-21
*Author:* Jim Marston

On September 22, 2009, the Texas Public Utility Commission plans a climate change summit asking the question, “Is Waxman-Markey Good for Texas?” After review of the topics and panelists invited, Environmental Defense Fund offers without editorial comment, the following facts on those representatives speaking in the first panel, “Academic/Not for Profit/Think Tank”:

- The **Heritage Foundation** has received more than $57 Million from oil and chemical related foundations, including the Scaife Family Foundations, the John M. Olin Foundation and the Koch Family Foundations, as well as more than $500,000 from ExxonMobil. – *SourceWatch.org, ExxonSecrets.org*
- Over the past 10 years, the **Texas Public Policy Foundation** has received more than $450,000 in funding from oil industry related foundations, including the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and the Claude R. Lamb Charitable Foundation. – *SourceWatch.org, ExxonSecrets.org*
- The **American Council for Capital Formation** has received $1.6 million in funding from ExxonMobil, and lists among its executives, those from the American Petroleum Institute, the American Chemistry Council, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Forest and Paper Association. – *SourceWatch.org, ExxonSecrets.org*
- **Michelle Foss**, of the UT Center for Energy Economics stated in her report on the Waxman-Markey bill: “These model results do not incorporate any assumptions of specific benefits associated with ACESA. For instance, CEE and CPA did not attempt to capture CEE Initial Report to Texas CPA, ACESA Impacts, job creation and output associated with growth in industries, such as those associated with renewable energy technologies.”

Among the academic experts not invited to participate in this panel, all with well-known expertise in climate science, economics, engineering and geology, are the following:

**Texas A&M University:** Kenneth Bowman, Sarah D. Brooks, Ping Chang, Don Collins, Andrew Dessler, Robert Duce, Craig Epifanio, Rob Korty, Mark Lemmon, Shaima L. Nasiri, John Nielsen-Gammon, Gerald North, Richard Orville, Lee Panetta, R. Saravanan, Courtney Schumacher, Thomas Wilheit, Ping Yang, Renyi Zhang, Jen Irish, Jane Packard, Bruce Mccarl, David W. Yoskowitz, Paul Montagna

**Rice University:** Neal Lane, John Anderson,

**University of Texas:** George Ward, Ian Duncan, Ginny Catania, Rodney Ruoff, Michael Moyer,

**University of Houston:** Victor Flatt

**Texas Tech:** Katharine Hayhoe

**Houston Advanced Research Center:** Bill Dawson, David Hitchcock, Eric Biltonen