Think Tank to Greenpeace: Put Up or Shut Up

In a sharply barbed May 18 press release, the National Center for Policy Research has challenged Greenpeace to reveal the identities of its donors of $50,000 or more for 2006. The conservative think tank is reacting to insinuations made by Greenpeace that oil company funding may be influencing the Center's positions on climate change and global warming.

Greenpeace - perhaps based on its own behavior - assumes that donations influence the stands groups such as ours take. They do not. So that the public can judge for themselves, we're challenging Greenpeace to complete transparency through disclosure of major gifts.

Funding from energy companies is not what is fueling the vigorous climate debate. What is fueling the debate is genuine, sincere belief that great uncertainties remain - both on the science and on the appropriate public policy response.

The think tank also pointedly emphasizes that being a Greenpeace executive is not a selfless sacrifice:

Further, Greenpeace Executive Director John Passacantando's compensation is three times - perhaps more - the total amount of corporate contributions The National Center for Public Policy Research received in 2006.