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Hey Chris Christie, Now That You've Given Exxon A Multi-Billion Dollar Present......
what are you going to do next? Well, he didn't go to Disney World, but he did head to Florida! (right after declaring a State of Emergency and telling everyone to "ask the Attorney General" about the Exxon settlement-watch out for that bus Mr. Hoffman) And to top it all off, he then went to Iowa (where he was heckled by Hurricane Sandy victims) where he argued strenuously for easing water pollution regulations and drinking water standards. A real man of the people I tell ya!
Hours After Exxon Settlement, Chris Christie Attends Secretive Event Hosted By Exxon-Funded Group
On Thursday, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration announced it was settling New Jersey’s $8.9 billion lawsuit against ExxonMobil for just $225 million. Just hours later, amid outraged calls for a federal probe of the deal as far too lenient, Christie attended a secretive conference in Georgia organized by an think tank that has been funded by ExxonMobil.
Christie was scheduled to give the opening speech at the American Enterprise Institute’s World Forum at a luxury resort on Sea Island, according to Bloomberg News. Corporate documents show that ExxonMobil has been a major benefactor of AEI, a conservative think tank in Washington whose scholars have disputed the scientific consensus on climate change and touted ExxonMobil as a “taxation hero.”
In 2012 and 2013, Exxon disclosed giving AEI a total of almost $600,000. The Union of Concerned Scientists has previously reported that AEI received $3 million from ExxonMobil between 2001 and 2011. In its past “corporate citizenship” reports, Exxon has touted its support of the group. A former CEO, Lee Raymond, served as the vice chairman of AEI’s board of trustees.
A Christie spokesman, Kevin Roberts, confirmed that the governor attended the AEI event, but he did not respond to IBTimes' separate request for comment on whether Christie discussed the Exxon settlement there. Exxon declined IBTimes' request for comment.
Bloomberg reported that an AEI World Forum agenda showed that Christie is attending the event along with other prospective Republican presidential candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. In response to IBTimes’ inquiry about the nature of the event, AEI spokeswoman Judy Mayka Stecker said: “The AEI World Forum is an informal gathering of leading thinkers from all ideological backgrounds to discuss challenges that the United States and the free world face in economics, security and social welfare.”
Asked if Christie discussed New Jersey’s Exxon settlement over pollution at the company’s refining facilities -- cemented mere hours before the World Forum commenced -- Stecker said that in order to “maintain intellectual freedom and free discourse, the event is private and off the record, therefore we do not comment further on the content or attendees.”
While receiving ExxonMobil cash, AEI has often publicly defended the company. Its reports have, for instance, touted the company for paying taxes, have argued that the punishment assessed to the company over the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska was “oversized” and have asserted that proposals to reduce taxpayer subsidies for major oil companies are “abusive.”
On Thursday, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration announced it was settling New Jersey’s $8.9 billion lawsuit against ExxonMobil for just $225 million. Just hours later, amid outraged calls for a federal probe of the deal as far too lenient, Christie attended a secretive conference in Georgia organized by an think tank that has been funded by ExxonMobil.
Christie was scheduled to give the opening speech at the American Enterprise Institute’s World Forum at a luxury resort on Sea Island, according to Bloomberg News. Corporate documents show that ExxonMobil has been a major benefactor of AEI, a conservative think tank in Washington whose scholars have disputed the scientific consensus on climate change and touted ExxonMobil as a “taxation hero.”
In 2012 and 2013, Exxon disclosed giving AEI a total of almost $600,000. The Union of Concerned Scientists has previously reported that AEI received $3 million from ExxonMobil between 2001 and 2011. In its past “corporate citizenship” reports, Exxon has touted its support of the group. A former CEO, Lee Raymond, served as the vice chairman of AEI’s board of trustees.
A Christie spokesman, Kevin Roberts, confirmed that the governor attended the AEI event, but he did not respond to IBTimes' separate request for comment on whether Christie discussed the Exxon settlement there. Exxon declined IBTimes' request for comment.
Bloomberg reported that an AEI World Forum agenda showed that Christie is attending the event along with other prospective Republican presidential candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. In response to IBTimes’ inquiry about the nature of the event, AEI spokeswoman Judy Mayka Stecker said: “The AEI World Forum is an informal gathering of leading thinkers from all ideological backgrounds to discuss challenges that the United States and the free world face in economics, security and social welfare.”
Asked if Christie discussed New Jersey’s Exxon settlement over pollution at the company’s refining facilities -- cemented mere hours before the World Forum commenced -- Stecker said that in order to “maintain intellectual freedom and free discourse, the event is private and off the record, therefore we do not comment further on the content or attendees.”
While receiving ExxonMobil cash, AEI has often publicly defended the company. Its reports have, for instance, touted the company for paying taxes, have argued that the punishment assessed to the company over the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska was “oversized” and have asserted that proposals to reduce taxpayer subsidies for major oil companies are “abusive.”
Read the rest here: http://www.ibtimes.com/hours-after-exxon-settlement-chris-christie-attends-secretive-event-hosted-exxon-1838686
After Exxon Mobil settlement, Christie heads to Iowa to argue against tougher water pollution regulations
As he faces stinging criticism at home over his administration's environmental cleanup settlement with Exxon Mobil in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie today in Iowa took a strenuously anti-regulatory stance when it comes to environmental water pollution.
Speaking at the Iowa agriculture summit hosted by pork and ethanol mogul Bruce Rastetter asked Christie what should be done about water pollution caused by agricultural "runoff," the fertilizer-enriched soils that can drive up algae levels, affecting drinking water quality and killing fish and other aquatic wildlife. Christie said he was unequivocally against any expansion of federal water pollution regulations.
"We should let farmers, the local associations here, and state governments, work together, in all our different states, to deal with those type of things," said Christie, who said that such market-based intervention should be "voluntary, but not optional."
"Farmers should be in charge of devising these solutions, along with government here, and their (trade) associations - not with some big, top-down program from Washington D.C. That never makes sense."
Christie also voiced his opposition to the EPA's "Waters of the US" rule-making proposal. The EPA last year proposed expanding its regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act to cover ponds and other isolated wetlands interspersed in nation's farmlands.
Big agribusinesses generally hate the idea of giving over land-use decisions to the government, which is why the crowded room exploded into applause when Christie deemed it "nothing more than a power grab from Washington D.C."
As he faces stinging criticism at home over his administration's environmental cleanup settlement with Exxon Mobil in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie today in Iowa took a strenuously anti-regulatory stance when it comes to environmental water pollution.
Speaking at the Iowa agriculture summit hosted by pork and ethanol mogul Bruce Rastetter asked Christie what should be done about water pollution caused by agricultural "runoff," the fertilizer-enriched soils that can drive up algae levels, affecting drinking water quality and killing fish and other aquatic wildlife. Christie said he was unequivocally against any expansion of federal water pollution regulations.
"We should let farmers, the local associations here, and state governments, work together, in all our different states, to deal with those type of things," said Christie, who said that such market-based intervention should be "voluntary, but not optional."
"Farmers should be in charge of devising these solutions, along with government here, and their (trade) associations - not with some big, top-down program from Washington D.C. That never makes sense."
Christie also voiced his opposition to the EPA's "Waters of the US" rule-making proposal. The EPA last year proposed expanding its regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act to cover ponds and other isolated wetlands interspersed in nation's farmlands.
Big agribusinesses generally hate the idea of giving over land-use decisions to the government, which is why the crowded room exploded into applause when Christie deemed it "nothing more than a power grab from Washington D.C."
Read the rest here: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/03/after_exxon_mobil_settlement_christie_heads_to_iow.html#incart_river
That's a lot for one post but its worth reading both articles.
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