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More Links between Drakes Bay Oyster Co., Right-Wing Groups
With a hearing scheduled in the 9th Circuit Federal Appeals Court tomorrow, May 14th, the long-scheduled closure of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company has become a cause celebre of well-funded conservative groups, as they seek to overturn the Interior Department’s decision so they can open more of our protected public lands to oil and gas exploration.
Right-wing national organizations have launched new efforts in the wake of moves by Washington politicians, including oil-state Senator David Vitter (R-Louisiana), who inserted language in his Keystone pipeline project and coastal drilling bill to give this one company a new, exclusive permit worth millions of dollars in an ecologically sensitive marine wilderness area, and House Republican Natural Resources Committee Chairman “Doc” Hastings (R-Washington), who has launched a review after assailing the Obama Administration’s decision to protect the Point Reyes National Seashore on its 50th Anniversary.
A sample of recent national right-wing involvement:
· Several weeks ago, Cause of Action, a Beltway-based legal foundation that refuses to reveal its funders but has strong links to the right-wing Koch Brothers, stepped into the fray, driving the company’s legal fight. The respected PBS “Newshour” http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/05/conflict-of-lease-and-legacy-provokes-controversy-on-the-half-shell.html exposed their involvement. Since that time, we have learned Cause of Action has been involved in 11 lawsuits, all advocating conservative causes, including a suit against the EPA and against Delaware’s governor trying to kill the development of renewable energy in that state.
· Yesterday, national Fox News http://video.foxnews.com/v/2376406357001/family-owned-business-says-govt-trying-to-shut-them-down/ joined their crusade with a biased report. In the interview, the Fox news host repeatedly misstated facts, and the Oyster company’s owner fails to mention that he bought the property in 2005 fully knowing that his permit to operate would expire 7 years later.
· We also have learned that the Pacific Legal Foundation, linked to the Koch Brothers by Sourcewatch http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Koch_Family_Foundations , is involved in the legal fight http://www.pacificlegal.org/pcg/PLF-to-back-Drakes-Bay-Oyster-Company-in-court, as it notes that it will be in the Court on Tuesday, live tweeting.
It’s clear that this is no longer about an oyster company with a significant record of violations with the California Coastal Commission.
It’s about out-of-state special interests working with the oyster company to set a dangerous new precedent to deregulate commercial activity on protected public lands and open them to oil and gas exploration.
A sample of recent national right-wing involvement:
· Several weeks ago, Cause of Action, a Beltway-based legal foundation that refuses to reveal its funders but has strong links to the right-wing Koch Brothers, stepped into the fray, driving the company’s legal fight. The respected PBS “Newshour” http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/05/conflict-of-lease-and-legacy-provokes-controversy-on-the-half-shell.html exposed their involvement. Since that time, we have learned Cause of Action has been involved in 11 lawsuits, all advocating conservative causes, including a suit against the EPA and against Delaware’s governor trying to kill the development of renewable energy in that state.
· Yesterday, national Fox News http://video.foxnews.com/v/2376406357001/family-owned-business-says-govt-trying-to-shut-them-down/ joined their crusade with a biased report. In the interview, the Fox news host repeatedly misstated facts, and the Oyster company’s owner fails to mention that he bought the property in 2005 fully knowing that his permit to operate would expire 7 years later.
· We also have learned that the Pacific Legal Foundation, linked to the Koch Brothers by Sourcewatch http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Koch_Family_Foundations , is involved in the legal fight http://www.pacificlegal.org/pcg/PLF-to-back-Drakes-Bay-Oyster-Company-in-court, as it notes that it will be in the Court on Tuesday, live tweeting.
It’s clear that this is no longer about an oyster company with a significant record of violations with the California Coastal Commission.
It’s about out-of-state special interests working with the oyster company to set a dangerous new precedent to deregulate commercial activity on protected public lands and open them to oil and gas exploration.
For more information:
http://www.savepointreyeswilderness.org
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Who is funding the EAC allegedly of West MArin?
Lets have the details, if there is nothing to hide!
Lets have the details, if there is nothing to hide!
Who could be worse than those who are funding the Oyster Company?
It doesn't get any worse in this country than the Koch brothers and their dirty money.
It doesn't get any worse in this country than the Koch brothers and their dirty money.
I wonder if they have added Drakes Bay Oyster Company yet?????
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Something's Fishy with Drakes Bay Oyster Company and its Right-Wing Backers
by STEVEN MAVIGLIO
Several months ago, the Drakes Bay Oyster Company and its lobbyists decided to cozy up with right-wing special interests in a last-ditch effort to break their agreement with the National Park Service.
First, Republican David Vitter (R-La.) took up their cause, trying to sneak language in legislation to keep the Keystone pipeline forward. Then, Rep. "Doc" Hastings (R-Washington), the GOP Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee who has a zero (0) rating from the League of Conservation Voters, championed the company, attacking the Obama Administration for its public-interest decision.
Meanwhile, an ultra-conservative law firm with links to the oil billionaires Koch Bros. called Cause of Action waged war in the courtroom. Earlier this month, it represented the company in the Ninth U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals in yet another attempt to renege on the agreement the Lunny family made to close the oyster operation after Nov. 30, 2012.
Today Energy & Environment reports that the company has "severed its relationship" with Cause of Action. The law firm had written PBS with a Freedom of Information Act request to try to get the media outlet to release all of its tapes after it reported the facts about the close-knit relationship between the oyster farm's effort and right-wing interests. Cause of Action also is withdrawing from the lawsuit it pushed.
But it's too little, too late for the oyster corporation, which produces just 3 percent of the oysters on the west coast. The move to cozy up to the right-wing clearly has hurt the company's efforts to portray itself as the little guy vs. big government. And that's something -- like the agreement the Lunny family made to shut down -- it simply just can't walk away from and pretend didn't happen.
http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&aid=5023&ptid=9
by STEVEN MAVIGLIO
Several months ago, the Drakes Bay Oyster Company and its lobbyists decided to cozy up with right-wing special interests in a last-ditch effort to break their agreement with the National Park Service.
First, Republican David Vitter (R-La.) took up their cause, trying to sneak language in legislation to keep the Keystone pipeline forward. Then, Rep. "Doc" Hastings (R-Washington), the GOP Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee who has a zero (0) rating from the League of Conservation Voters, championed the company, attacking the Obama Administration for its public-interest decision.
Meanwhile, an ultra-conservative law firm with links to the oil billionaires Koch Bros. called Cause of Action waged war in the courtroom. Earlier this month, it represented the company in the Ninth U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals in yet another attempt to renege on the agreement the Lunny family made to close the oyster operation after Nov. 30, 2012.
Today Energy & Environment reports that the company has "severed its relationship" with Cause of Action. The law firm had written PBS with a Freedom of Information Act request to try to get the media outlet to release all of its tapes after it reported the facts about the close-knit relationship between the oyster farm's effort and right-wing interests. Cause of Action also is withdrawing from the lawsuit it pushed.
But it's too little, too late for the oyster corporation, which produces just 3 percent of the oysters on the west coast. The move to cozy up to the right-wing clearly has hurt the company's efforts to portray itself as the little guy vs. big government. And that's something -- like the agreement the Lunny family made to shut down -- it simply just can't walk away from and pretend didn't happen.
http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&aid=5023&ptid=9
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