June 14, 2010

Groups Take Murkowski EPA Showdown to the Airwaves


Environmental and progressive groups are targeting senators for their votes last week on a measure to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The measure, sponsored by Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), failed by a vote of 47-53.

Americans United for Change is spending $405,000 on local TV ads targeting Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Scott Brown (R-Mass.). Both Burr and Grassley are up for reelection this year. Brown isn’t up for reelection until 2012, but he comes from the state whose challenge to the EPA prompted the regulation of planet-warming gases in the first place, and he supported carbon reduction as a state senator. The Brown ads, which started over the weekend, highlight the senator’s $45,000 in donations from the oil industry and show footage of the Gulf oil spill and oil-coated animals. Here’s the ad:

Meanwhile, Clean Energy Works is running ads thanking senators who voted against Murkowski’s measure. The first round praises Michael Bennet (D-Col.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.); Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Jim Webb (D-Va.). Here’s the Murray ad:

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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