Murray Energy and Southern Company last year contributed enough to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) to nab private meetings with state Attorneys General just days before the same officials launched a massive legal fight against the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, according to documents obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).
The documents show that private meetings were scheduled during the RAGA 2015 Summer National Meeting held Aug. 1-4, 2015. According to a meeting schedule obtained by the Madison, Wisconsin-based watchdog group, representatives from Murray Energy met with attorneys general for 40 minutes privately. Southern Company representatives were slated for a 20-minute meeting.
Only 11 days later, attorneys general from West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming attempted to have the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which requires states to develop action plans to meet federally set emissions reduction goals, blocked by a federal appeals court. However, because the rule had not yet been published in the Federal Register, the motion was thrown out.
Months later, once the rule had been published in the Federal Register, the AGs again filed suit. That suit, which now pits 27 states and more than 100 electric generators, utilities, and trade organizations against the EPA, will come before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit later this month.
Also included in the long list of petitioners in the case against the Clean Power Plan are Murray Energy and Southern Company.
Both companies have contributed enough to RAGA for inclusion in the association’s top two membership brackets. According to donation data from OpenSecrets, Murray donated $250,000 in mid-2015, earning a spot in RAGA’s top membership bracket. Southern Co. (and subsidy Southern Company Services) donated $85,000, placing them one tier lower than Murray.
Funders in these brackets are entitled to “submit issue panel topics and to be a panelist at RAGA national meetings” and may “lead issue briefings with Republican Attorneys General during RAGA events,” according to a member packet obtained by CMD.
Murray Energy defended its support of RAGA Wednesday, saying that the attorneys general didn’t need any help coming to a conclusion on the legality of the CPP. Gary Broadbent, assistant general counsel and media director for Murray, said in a prepared statement the attorneys general “determined that this CPP is illegal and acted on their own.”
“Murray Energy Corporation is proud to support the Republican Attorneys General Association, in working to combat the numerous illegal and destructive actions of the Obama Administration,” Broadbent added.
Offering such benefits to members is not unique to RAGA, the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) offers similar membership perks. According to a 2014 DAGA membership information packet, donors in the top two tiers receive “invitations to VIP receptions at DAGA Issues Conferences. These events offer our most committed supporters an opportunity to engage Attorneys General in an informal setting and establish ongoing relationships.” Top-tier donors are also invited to participate in monthly conference calls with the attorneys general.