Backers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline cite a poll that shows support for it. But the poll results were bought and paid for by the oil and gas industry. …
In the News
Hedge fund-backed pharma company that fed opioid crisis now seeks to profit from treating it
Insys Therapeutics made millions off of feeding the opioid crisis. Now it seeks to profit off of treating opiod addiction. …
Former Obama EPA Official Now Lobbying for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
A former Obama EPA official and congressional chief of staff is now lobbying politicians and key regulatory agencies for Dominion and its controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline. …
SUNY Poly administrator who evaluated developer bids worked for decades at CHA
An engineering firm targeted in federal investigations of potential bid-rigging in New York State enjoyed an especially cozy relationship with one of the state officials who evaluated some Buffalo Billion developer bids, LittleSis has learned. The firm, CHA (formerly known as Clough Harbour & Associates), was in the news last month because it paid consulting …
Hochul raised $35k from Buffalo Billion contractors now under investigation
Campaign finance records show that in early August 2014 Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul brought in more than $35,000 from at least eight people and businesses named in subpoenas in the investigation into Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative. The donations coincide with a private fundraiser Hochul held at a Buffalo law firm, suggesting that numerous …
Buffalo Billion developer flouted New York State disclosure laws
Buffalo developer Paul Ciminelli was legally required to file annual financial disclosure statements with New York State during his four-year tenure on the public authority controlling Buffalo Billion spending, Empire State Development (ESD). But Ciminelli’s forms are extremely deficient for the first two years he served on the board and missing for the second two. …
Paul Ciminelli and Ciminelli Real Estate’s conflicted Buffalo Billion roles
Though much of the reporting around Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion project has focused on Buffalo construction firm LPCiminelli, relatively little attention has been paid to another major beneficiary of Buffalo Billion spending: Ciminelli Real Estate. Owned by Paul Ciminelli, the brother of LPCiminelli chairman & CEO Louis Ciminelli, Ciminelli Real Estate has been involved in …
New York Times runs Michael Hayden pro-drone op-ed; fails to disclose ties to drone manufacturers
In its Sunday Review section on February 21, 2016, the New York Times ran a column titled “To Keep America Safe, Embrace Drone Warfare.” The article’s thesis is summarized in its second-last sentence: “Civilians have died, but in my firm opinion, the death toll from terrorist attacks would have been much higher if we had …
Vulture Fund Feminism
A newly-reported contract between Madeleine Albright’s consulting firm and a major Wall Street hedge fund has only been a footnote in presidential campaign coverage, but it speaks volumes about how elites in both parties find common ground above the fray of partisan bickering and gridlock that tends to dominate the news cycle. A consulting firm …
The financial industry gives Geithner some credit
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner secured a line of credit from JPMorgan Chase, one of the too-big-to-fail recipients of bailout cash. Geithner is looking to buy in to a new $12 billion fund at Warburg Pincus, the private equity firm where he now works. He reportedly stands to make …
The Flint water crisis and the billionaires behind Governor Rick Snyder
In March 2014, the city of Flint began sourcing its water from the Flint River, a decision that would have ostensibly saved the city $5 million over two years, at the behest of state-appointed Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. Soon after the switch, residents began complaining of water with a rank smell and taste, and samples …
Industry-tied Department of Energy study finds gas exports will drive fracking, makes no mention of climate
On December 28, Bloomberg reported on a US Department of Energy analysis that found that increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States would result in a 5% decrease in natural gas prices in Asia along with a 1% increase in US prices. The contracted researchers concluded that this would be a …