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Bakersfield CA Councilmember Bob Smith Subject of Public Records Inquiry

2017-06-14

A Local Spotlight on the National Effort to Undermine Property Assessed Clean Energy Recent reports have called our attention to what appears to be a coordinated attack on Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). PACE allows homeowners to finance residential and commercial energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, as well as hurricane-mitigation and other improvements, through… Read more »

Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs Are Under Attack

2017-05-9

Morningstar Dismissed Misconceptions, Yet U.S. Senator Tom Cotton and Others Take Up the Cause of the Mortgage Bankers and Real Estate Lobbies Over the years, Checks and Balances Project has investigated special interest lobbies, often aligned with government officials, working to preserve and grow powerful, incumbent industries and block the growth of energy efficiency and… Read more »

Metropolitan Transit Authority Records Show Improper Use of Counter-Terrorism Trademark by Anti-Home Sharing Group

2017-05-4

ShareBetter failed to obtain permission to use “See Something, Say Something” Anyone who has ridden a bus, subway or railroad in the U.S. has probably seen a sign warning, “If You See Something, Say Something.” Trademarked by the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and licensed to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the… Read more »

Penn State Professor O’Neill Hired by Hotel Lobby for Pay-to-Play Research

2017-04-18

New documents uncovered by Checks and Balances Project show that Penn State Professor John W. O’Neill has peddled hotel-industry talking points as scholarship while failing to disclose his longstanding, commercial relationships.

A Year Later, Coast Guard Provides Emails Regarding Troubled Offshore Wind Study

2017-03-22

The U.S. Coast Guard has ended its year-long slow walk on filling requests for basic public records regarding a lobbyist-driven offshore wind energy study known as the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study (ACPARS).

Inquiries to New York Union Leader Peter Ward Go Unanswered

2017-03-15

We emailed a letter directly to Mr. Ward asking about these inconsistencies, but received no reply. On March 10, we sent the letter again and followed up by phone with Mr. Ward’s executive assistant to make sure the letter was not overlooked.

Will Shipping Lobby’s Handiwork Sabotage Offshore Wind Energy?

2017-02-7

An obscure Coast Guard committee, co-chaired by the powerful shipping lobby, has the power to force drastic cuts to lease areas that offshore-wind developers have already purchased.

Anonymous Tip from Penn State: “There is a bigger story here.”

2017-01-23

In late December, we received an anonymous tip in the mail from a reader about our ongoing inquiry into possible ethics violations by Penn State Professor John W. O’Neill of the School of Hospitality Management, who has produced research highly favorable to the hotel lobby..

Hotel Union Leader’s Database Undercuts Claim of Organizing Success

2017-01-13

Despite the hotel building boom and surging tourism in New York City, especially outside of Manhattan, Ward has emerged as the most prominent leader of efforts to block the growth of home sharing, an affordable, sustainable form of lodging.