FACTSHEET: Cato Institute,
DETAILS
1000 Mass. Ave NW.Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-842-0200
Fax: 202-842-3490
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Washington DC, was founded in 1977 by Edward Crane and Charles Koch, the billionaire co-owner of Koch Industries, the largest privately held oil company in the U.S.
The Cato Institute holds regular briefings on global warming with known climate 'skeptics' as panelists. In December 2003, panelists included Patrick Michaels, Robert Balling and John Christy, all of whom believe that the current scientific understanding of climate change is inconclusive. Cato held similar briefings on climate change in Washington in July 2003 and 2002. (C. Coon, & Erin. Hymel (2003) Sound Policy for the Energy Bill, Heritage Foundation Reports, 23 September. )
According to People for the American Way, Cato has been funded by: Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, Bell Atlantic Network Services, BellSouth Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, GTE Corporation, Microsoft Corp- oration, Netscape Communications Corporation, NYNEX Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Viacom International, American Express, Chase Manhattan Bank, Chemical Bank, Citicorp/Citibank, Commonwealth Fund, Prudential Securities and Salomon Brothers. Energy conglomerates include: Chevron Companies, Exxon Company, Shell Oil Company and Tenneco Gas, as well as the American Petroleum Institute, Amoco Foundation and Atlantic Richfield Foundation. Cato's pharmaceutical donors include Eli Lilly & Company, Merck & Company and Pfizer, Inc. (www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=9261)
Between 1985 and 2001, the Institute received $15,718,040 in 112 grants from only ten conservative foundations: Castle Rock Foundation (reformed Coors Foundation), Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, Earhart Foundation, JM Foundation, John M. Olin Foundation, Inc., Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Sarah Scaife Foundation, Carthage Foundation, David H Koch Foundation. (www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.php?51)
The Cato Institute is a member of the State Policy Network 4/04
KEY QUOTES
"No known mechanism can stop global warming in the near term. International agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, would have no detectable effect on average temperature within any reasonable policy time frame of 50 years or so, even with full compliance."
Source: Chapter 47 of the Cato Handbook for Congress, 107 Congress
QUOTES
3 May, 2003
In response to the World Watch Report in May 2003 that linked climate change and severe weather events: "It's false. There is absolutely no evidence that extreme weather events are on the increase. None. The argument that more and more dollar damages accrue is a reflection of the greater amount of wealth we've created." - Jerry Taylor
Source: "Enviro Trends: Poor to Bear Brunt of Climate Change"
KEY DEEDS
18 May, 2000
Held a "book forum" around the release of Patrick Michaels' "The Satanic Gases: Clearing the Air about Global Warming" where Michaels presented the ideas in his book.
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Included chapters on global warming in the "Cato Handbooks" for both the 106th and 107th Congresses. In both instances, Cato cast doubt on climate change science and discouraged U.S. involvement in the Kyoto Protocol or any other attempts to regulate greenhouse gases. The "Cato Handbooks" were distributed to all members of Congress.
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
6 October, 1999
Senior Fellow Patrick Michaels testifed before the House Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, arguing against the classification of carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
Source: Transcript, Patrick Michaels' testimony before House Committee on Energy and Environment 10/6/99
20 May, 1999
Jerry Taylor, Cato Director of Natural Resource Studies, testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Energy Research, Development, Production and Regulation and the House Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, arguing that the Clinton administration budget requests for global climate change programs were not in compliance with the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act.
Source: Congressional Testimony of Jerry Taylor 5/20/99
7 June, 2002
Senior Fellow Patrick Michaels signed a letter to President Bush, asking him to withdraw the "Climate Action Report 2002" and demand that it be rewritten based on "sound science". The letter also recommends that Bush "dismiss or re-assign all administration employees who are not pursuing your agenda, just as you have done in several similar instances."
Source: Joint Letter To President Bush On The EPA's Climate Action Report 6/7/02
FUNDING
Cato Institute has received $125,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.
1991
$unknown Exxon Corporation
Source: Cato Institute 1991 Annual Report
1998
$15,000 Exxon Corporation
Environmental and Natural Resources Program
Source: Exxon Education Foundation Dimensions 1998 report
2001
$20,000 ExxonMobil Foundation
Source: ExxonMobil 2001 Worldwide Giving Report
2002
$25,000 ExxonMobil Foundation
general support
Source: ExxonMobil 2002 Worldwide Giving Report
2002
$5,000 ExxonMobil Corporate Giving
annual gala dinner
Source: ExxonMobil 2002 Worldwide Giving Report
2003
$25,000 ExxonMobil Foundation
Source: ExxonMobil 2003 Worldwide Giving Report
2004
$15,000 ExxonMobil Foundation
Environmental Education and Outreach
Source: ExxonMobil 2004 Worldwide Giving Report
2006
$20,000 ExxonMobil Corporate Giving
Source: ExxonMobil 2006 Worldwide Giving Report
KEY PEOPLE
Thomas Gale Moore
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Patrick J. Michaels
Senior Fellow, Environmental Studies
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
S. Fred Singer
Editorial Advisory Board
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Ronald Bailey
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
David H. Koch
Board of Directors, member
Source: Cato Website Board of Directors 05/05
David H. Padden
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Doug Bandow
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Steve Hanke
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Jerry Taylor
Director of Natural Resource Studies
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Terry Anderson
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Steven Milloy
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Vernon L. Smith
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
John Christy
Conference Speaker
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Robert C. Balling Jr.
Conference Speaker
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Richard Lindzen
Contributing Writer, Reason Magazine
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Andrei Illarionov
co-sponsor of conference
Source: cato website
Charles Koch
co-founder
Source: ExxonMobil 2001 Worldwide Giving Report
PEOPLE
Peter Ackerman
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
K. Tucker Andersen
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Frank Bond
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Edward Crane
President
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Richard J. Dennis
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Theodore Forstmann
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Ethelmae C Humphreys
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
John C. Malone
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
William A. Niskanen
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Lewis E. Randall
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Howard S. Rich
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Frederick W. Smith
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Jeffrey S. Yass
Director
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Patrick Basham
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Andrew Biggs
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
David Boaz
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Ted Galen Carpenter
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Jonathan Clarke
Policy Scholar/Fellow
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr.
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Veronique de Rugy
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
James A. Dorn
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Chris R. Edwards
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Tom Firey
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Daniel Griswold
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Marie Gryphon
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Gene Healy
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Daniel Ikenson
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Casey Lartigue
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Robert A. Levy
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Brink Lindsey
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Timothy Lynch
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Tom Miller
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Stephen Moore
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Tom G. Palmer
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Charles V. Pena
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Roger Pilon
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Jose Pinera
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Christopher Preble
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Alan Reynolds
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
L. Jacobo Rodriguez
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
David Salisbury
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
John Samples
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
James Swanson
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Michael D. Tanner
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Adam Thierer
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Marian Tupy
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Peter Van Doren
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Ian Vasquez
Policy Scholar
Source: Cato Website 5/03
Donald J. Boudreaux
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Robert L. Bradley Jr.
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Michael Gough
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Cassandra C. Moore
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Alvin Rabushka
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Sam Peltzman
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Richard L. Stroup
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Walter Williams
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Benjamin Zycher
Adjunct Scholar
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Robert Micheals
Adjunct Scholar
Source: cato website
Ronald D. Rotunda
Senior Fellow
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Robert W. Hahn
Editorial Advisory Board
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
Jane S. Shaw
Editorial Advisory Board
Source: Cato Institute website 4/04
David J. Theroux
Founding Vice President & former Director of Academic Affairs
Source: Independent Institute website 4/04
William H. Lash
Board of Advisors
Source: GMU School of Law Website (2006)
Nick Nichols
Featured Speaker
Source: CDFE website 2007
Todd Wynn
Vice President of Cascade Policy Institute, which has recieved grant money from Cato
Source: sourcewatch CPI
Whitney Ball
former director of development
Source: Philanthropy Roundtable - staff
SOURCES
ExxonMobil 2001 Worldwide Giving Report
Public Information and Policy Research
research.greenpeaceusa.org/?a=view&d=4388
ExxonMobil 2002 Worldwide Giving Report
Public Information and Policy Research
research.greenpeaceusa.org/?a=view&d=4386
Exxon Education Foundation Dimensions 1998 report
Exxon Dimensions report 1998- Public Information and Policy Research
research.greenpeaceusa.org/?a=view&d=4385
Cato Institute 1991 Annual Report
Cato Institute 1991 Annual Report
Cato Website 5/03
Cato Institute
www.cato.org
Cato Institute website 4/04
www.cato.org
Transcript, Patrick Michaels' testimony before House Committee on Energy and Environment 10/6/99
Chapter 47 of the Cato Handbook for Congress, 107 Congress
www.cato.org/current/global-warming/index.html
Congressional Testimony of Jerry Taylor 5/20/99
www.cato.org/testimony/ct-jt052099.html
Independent Institute website 4/04
www.independent.org/
ExxonMobil 2003 Worldwide Giving Report
Public Information and Policy Research
research.greenpeaceusa.org/?a=view&d=4389
Joint Letter To President Bush On The EPA's Climate Action Report 6/7/02
www.cei.org/gencon/027,03051.cfm
cato website
www.cato.org/events/russianconf2004/index.html
Cato Website Board of Directors 05/05
www.cato.org/people/directors.html
ExxonMobil 2004 Worldwide Giving Report
2004 Worldwide Contributions and Community Investments
Public Information and Policy Research
research.greenpeaceusa.org/?a=view&d=4380
"Enviro Trends: Poor to Bear Brunt of Climate Change"
by L. Miller 23 May 2003
GMU School of Law Website (2006)
www.law.gmu.edu/index.php
CDFE website 2007
www.cdfe.org/staff.htm
ExxonMobil 2006 Worldwide Giving Report
Public Information and Policy Research
downloaded from Exxon website
research.greenpeaceusa.org/?a=view&d=4381
sourcewatch CPI
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cascade_Policy_Institute
Philanthropy Roundtable - staff
www.philanthropyroundtable.org/who_we_are/staff/