Heartland Institute

The Heartland Institute is a Chicago-based free market think tank that attacks the science behind global warming and routinely pushes for legislation weakening or repealing renewable energy policies. It has received contributions from fossil fuel corporations, including ExxonMobil. Heartland has also worked with the tobacco industry to minimize the negative public perception that second-hand tobacco smoke was bad for your health and lobbied against public health reforms.

Joe Bast and Willie Soon

Joseph Bast and Willie Soon on Fox News

According to The Guardian, “Heartland has built a reputation over the years for providing a forum for climate change sceptics. But it is especially known for hosting a series of lavish conferences of climate science doubters at expensive hotels in New York’s Times Square as well as in Washington DC.”

Staff at Heartland include climate-deniers Joseph Bast, Jay Lehr, and Jim Lakely. Bast was also a Founding Director, officer, and a member of the executive committee of the State Policy Network.

In 2017, the Heartland Institute’s America First Energy Conference celebrated the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back key U.S. climate change policies. The event featured members of the Trump transition team, such as Steve Milloy, and administration officials.

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