War Rooms and Coal Barons

Alberta's recently constituted "war room," sometimes known as the Canadian Energy Centre, is off to a rocky start. First we learned it plagiarized its logo and now it turns out one of its spokesmen has been misrepresenting himself as a reporter. Not an auspicious beginning for the ministry of truth.

But then it's only really interested in half the truth. Individuals and organizations concerned about the climate crisis will attract its attention, but individuals and organizations that attempt to undermine climate science will not. Take, for example, Robert E. Murray, former CEO of Murray Energy, Tea Party funder, avid Trump supporter and global warming denier. Murray Energy is the largest private coal company in the United States, still operating despite having lapsed into bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy has not halted the coal baron's spendthrift ways, however. This year, he paid himself $14-million and earmarked another $1-million for global warming denial. He has over the years funded an array of PACs and other conservative organizations including groups that deny anthropogenic climate change. Among those groups is the Canadian organization the International Climate Science Coalition. The coalition claims climate is “always changing in accordance with natural causes and recent changes are not unusual.”

Premier Kenney and his UCP colleagues are outraged by American funding of Canadian environmental groups, but we can be assured their "war room" won't be challenging Mr. Murray's beneficiaries. It will not be checking their alternative facts. Covering both sides of the issue would be an attempt to ensure a fair debate, i.e. a debate Kenney et al. cannot win, so Mr. Murray may freely fund fibs about climate change to his heart's content and need have no fear of war rooms. In any case, he has enough on his plate with bankruptcy court.