Thumbs Down & No Stars For ALEC as Facebook and Yelp Leave

San Francisco, CA – Facebook and Yelp have become the latest technology companies to leave the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) over concerns about the special interest group’s reputation of denying climate change and their influence on the democratic process in the United States.

The Sierra Club has announced today that Facebook and Yelp have joined other high tech firms in which have recently departed from ALEC. The Sierra Club describes ALEC as “a right-wing clearinghouse for dangerous legislation pushed on the state and local level to attack worker’s rights, civil rights, voting rights, and clean energy solutions across the country.”

The news of the Facebook and Yelp rejection of ALEC comes on the heels of an announcement by Google on Monday that it would also be leaving ALEC due to pressure from a coalition of groups.

[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”400px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]”Fossil-fuel backed groups like ALEC are on the wrong side of nearly every effort to tackle the climate crisis and on the wrong side of history.” ~ Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune[/dropshadowbox]

A coalition of 50 labor, environmental, religion, free speech, civil rights and other groups said in a letter addressed early this month to Google executives, “Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed petitions asking Google to end its ALEC membership because of their concerns about the harmful role ALEC has played in our democratic process.”

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Thank green activists for asking Google to leave ALEC
[Tweet “TY @LCVoters @energyaction @MTEIC for asking Google to leave ALEC http://bit.ly/reALECty”]
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According to the Center for Media and Democracy, ALEC works behind closed doors with no press or public allowed to see the votes or deliberations in order to push legislation templates benefiting corporate profits at the expense of our environment and our health by making it easier for polluters to spoil water and air.

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The web site Alecexposed.org describes the following examples of ALEC legislation:

• ALEC’s “Resolution in Opposition to EPA’s Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources” opposes a Supreme Court decision that allowed the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases as pollutants.
• ALEC’s “Resolution in Support of the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act” supports the REINS Act, legislation that would give Congress the authority to block the enforcement of numerous federal protections, including clean air and water laws, safeguards for mine workers, rules that prohibit the sale of tobacco to children, and even protection from discrimination.
• ALEC’s “Resolution in Opposition to EPA’s Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources” opposes a Supreme Court decision that allowed the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases as pollutants. The resolution dismisses climate change concerns through misleading rhetoric.
• ALEC’s “Resolution in Support of the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act” supports the REINS Act, legislation that would give Congress the authority to block the enforcement of numerous federal protections, including clean air and water laws, safeguards for mine workers, rules that prohibit the sale of tobacco to children, and even protection from discrimination. [/color-box]

In response to Google’s announcement of their intention to also depart, ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson, said in a press release Monday, ““It is unfortunate to learn Google has ended its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council as a result of public pressure from left-leaning individuals and organizations who intentionally confuse free market policy perspectives for climate change denial.”

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Thank green activists for asking Google to leave ALEC
[Tweet “TY @NewEnergyNM @sierraclub for asking Google to leave ALEC http://bit.ly/reALECty”] [/color-box]

ALEC has not made a press statement about the departure of Yelp and Facebook as of yet.

Nelson said, “The conversations held in Dallas were intended to build understanding and pioneer future policy approaches where organizations could find common ground on issues of climate change, energy generation and government mandates.”

However the coalition which put pressure on Google to leave ALEC stated that, “During their recent meetings in Dallas, ALEC officers and corporate lobbyists held training seminars to teach legislators how to block legislation that encourages clean energy solutions.”

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Thank green activists for asking Google to leave ALEC
[Tweet “TY @climateparents @ForecastFacts for asking Google to leave ALEC http://bit.ly/reALECty”] [/color-box]

In response to the recent ALEC departures of Facebook and Yelp, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:

“Climate deniers are the new tobacco executives — nobody wants to be seen with them. With Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Microsoft all dumping ALEC, it’s increasingly obvious that you can not run a successful 21st century company while associating with ideologues from the stone age. Fossil-fuel backed groups like ALEC are on the wrong side of nearly every effort to tackle the climate crisis and on the wrong side of history. That’s why the Sierra Club and our coalition partners will continue to pressure those in the technology industry and elsewhere who fund ALEC and stand in the way of healthy communities and a prosperous economy powered by clean energy.”

[color-box color=”grey”]The coalition includes: American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Family Voices, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), Americans United for Change, Alliance for Retired Americans, Center for Effective Government, Center for Media and Democracy/ALECExposed, Christopher Reynolds Foundation, Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington (CREW), Climate Parents, ColorofChange.org, Common Cause, Communication Workers of America (CWA), Courage Campaign, CREDO Action, Democracy for America, Demos, Energy Action Coalition, Forecast the Facts, Free Press, Friends Fiduciary Corporation, Good Jobs First, Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, U.S.A., In the Public Interest, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Jobs With Justice, League of Conservation Voters, Money Out Voters In (MOVI), Montana Environmental Information Center, MoveOn, New Energy Economy, Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment, People For the American Way, Progress Now, Progress Florida, Progress Missouri, Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order Milwaukee, Public Campaign, Public Citizen, RootsAction, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Sierra Club, Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Share Action, Social Security Works, Stand Up to ALEC, SumOfUs
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), United Steelworkers (USW), USAction and We Act Radio[/color-box]