A leaked confidential 66-page document from a top environmentalist association obtained exclusively by Breitbart News reveals a plot by supporters of Democrat President Joe Biden’s signature legislative accomplishment to begin a pressure campaign against Republicans to push them to protect green energy subsidies Biden secured for them.
The document, a “February 2024 Board Memo” prepared for board members of the American Clean Power Association, is striking in how specific and aggressive it is in detailing plans for its members to push Republican lawmakers to oppose any GOP effort to repeal all or parts of Biden’s inaptly named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA, which passed during Biden’s second year as president, did not lower inflation but did aggressively expand government spending, including perhaps most controversially on the left’s radical green energy agenda.
The American Clean Power Association, or ACP, is a trade association made up of companies supportive of or benefitting from the left’s green energy push. On its website, the organization describes itself as a “leading voice of more than 800 companies from across the clean power sector that are committed to meeting America’s national security, economic and climate goals with fast-growing, low-cost, and reliable domestic power.”
This 66-page document obtained by Breitbart News is marked on nearly every page as “ACP Confidential Information.” The first dozen or so pages of it include a breakdown of normal business of a trade association, including discussion about the election of board members and officers of the group, as well as the organization’s financials. The financial report section explains that the group pulls in tens of millions of dollars annually in revenue, and spends tens of millions of dollars per year as well—making this group a powerhouse trade association in the green energy space. The document, for instance, says the trade association’s finance team estimated a total of more than $62 million in revenue in 2023, and expenses at $55.8 million. In short, this group is extremely well-funded—and the document brags about ACP having more than $49 million in cash available on hand to begin 2024.
ACP Board Book Feb 2024 by Breitbart News on Scribd
On page 13, the confidential ACP document reveals that this leftist trade association plans to spend a huge chunk of this extra cash to protect the Biden agenda—and specifically the IRA—from the Republicans on Capitol Hill and from former President Donald Trump should he win the election in November. The recommended expenditure is well into seven figures, with ACP pushing for spending north of $7 million to help keep the IRA in place as it exists now. “Given the mounting reserves, ACP’s strong financial position, and the critical challenges we face in 2024, staff was encouraged to develop options for additional one-time investments the Board could consider at the February Board meeting,” the ACP document reads. “Based on this request, the staff is proposing to spend $7M for a surge campaign, with $5M from ACP’s reserve funds to help implement and insulate the IRA from repeal or harmful revision. The Finance Committee reaffirms that ACP’s financial position enables this level of expenditure in 2024.”
ACP has not replied to a comment request from Breitbart News about the 66-page confidential document leak.
The publication of this leaked confidential document comes just days after the New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump and conservatives have the green energy parts of the IRA in the crosshairs should they return to power next year. One conservative quoted in that Times story, Tom Pyle of the American Energy Alliance—a conservative group aligned with traditional energy sources like fossil fuel producers—told Breitbart News when asked to review the in-depth plan his leftist counterparts at ACP laid out in this document that the allocation of this amount of resources by ACP to this effort is proof the leftist green energy environmentalists literally cannot survive without government funding.
“It’s clear from the strategy that their dependence on these subsidies is critical to their future viability and so it’s worth it to them to put the level of resources that they’ve committed as evidenced by this document towards trying to pick off enough Republicans to try to save all or parts of the Biden administration’s radical green agenda,” Pyle said in an interview. “When your whole business model is dependent upon the government, naturally you are going to do whatever it takes to hold onto your gains and try to minimize your losses when an administration changes hands as they clearly anticipate this November.”
Later in the ACP document, on page 16, begins a detailed multi-page explanation of the ACP’s plot to defend the Biden energy agenda. Under a section titled “Defending the IRA,” the ACP document reveals it is the group’s “top priority” as a trade association. The opening paragraph of this section explains that the group is going to ramp up spending this year on this front, with the expectation that a longer battle to protect Biden’s IRA will continue post-election into 2025 and beyond, especially depending on which party wins the presidency, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House in November.
“Defending the clean energy incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act is our top priority,” the ACP document reads. “During our December 2023 Board meeting, we discussed the creation of a successful 2024 effort to protect the IRA. Based on that discussion which stressed measures of success, we have rallied around the following 2024 KPIs [Key Performance Indicators] to protect the IRA. These KPIs will help build a strong foundation for any needed post-election efforts in 2025.”
Specific action items the ACP document calls for in its quest to protect Biden’s energy agenda include blocking any vote from being scheduled in the U.S. Senate in 2025 to repeal or amend the IRA. Secondly, the association calls for building “visible support for clean energy projects and IRA incentives among a targeted group of Republican Members of Congress” through what it describes as “an integrated advocacy and communications effort.” It also pushes to build “a multi-sector coalition of energy associations and companies to insulate the IRA.” And it pushes to “secure release of all necessary guidance and regulations in a sustainable and bankable format before the end of fiscal year 2024.”
Perhaps the most interesting thing in this document is the focus on pushing Republicans to cave and support the Biden energy agenda. The group openly admits that success—should Republicans retake the White House and Senate, while holding the House—hinges on getting the establishment Republicans to cave and support the leftist causes they want. The document lays out how ACP intends to use its various arms—the trade association and various associated political action committees—as muscle to pressure Republicans into backing them.
“Success does not require strategic inspiration. We know that political resilience requires convincing roughly 10% of Senate and House Republicans to oppose threats to our interests,” the ACP document states. “The tactics to build political support are also well known. The key to success is the efficient deployment and coordination of significant resources within ACP, across the membership and with aligned industry and advocacy groups. ACP has committed to executing an advocacy plan that integrates 501(c)(6), 501(c)(4) and PAC resources.”
What’s more, at the top of page 17, ACP literally openly admits its planning includes the possibility of a big red wave election in 2024—and is doing its best to stem the tide of any efforts to repeal the IRA provisions that provide tax dollars to green energy projects should Republicans sweep in November.
“As we start this year, 2024 election cycle outcomes are a major and material uncertainty lingering on the horizon,” the ACP document states. “While there are signs that wholesale repeal of the IRA would be unlikely following a Republican wave election, we are not ignoring this risk and are taking steps to ensure the industry is in the best possible position to avoid the more likely threat of material changes to the IRA in a Republican-controlled Congress and White House in 2025.”
Then the document lists several states, broken into tiers 1 and 2, where it says it will focus its efforts. In tier 1 states, the document states, the leftists believe there are at least one Republican House member and one Republican senator they think they can flip to their cause. The tier 1 states identified by the ACP document are Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, and South Carolina. “Each state has at least one persuadable/industry- supportive Senate Republican and at least one persuadable/industry-supportive House Republican,” the document says of the so-identified first tier states. “Additionally, they all have a significant industry presence and will be receiving maximum advocacy and communications focus and resources this year.”
Second tier states, the ACP document states, include West Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Illinois, Ohio, and Arizona. “Member companies and outside stakeholders have also identified these Tier 2 states as including lawmakers who are considered ‘gettable’ in terms of opposing IRA repeal – and who might additionally be helpful on other key industry priorities (e.g., permitting reform),” the document states about the so-identified second tier states. “These states will also be receiving significant focus as part of our IRA defense efforts in 2024.”
As for Alaska and Maine, the document also notes that the leftists expect Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to support their green agenda, so they will not be devoting resources to those two states.
The document also adds what it says is a “Special Note on Texas” and explains that the organization and its affiliated groups intend to spend more than $4 million over the next two years just in the Lone Star State pushing leftist green energy projects. The document even singles out Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a GOP senator many think may be in consideration to become the next Senate GOP leader when the day comes for current Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell to finally step aside. “Additionally, we meet regularly with – and have allocated CLEANPOWER PAC resources for – Sen. John Cornyn and select Representatives to ensure a continuous clean energy presence for Texas in Washington, D.C.,” the document states.
Later, under Appendix C on page 50, the ACP document details by name every single Republican House member and Senator the group intends to pressure to support Biden’s green energy agenda. They include Murkowski from Alaska, Collins from Maine, and Cornyn from Texas; Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in the U.S. Senate. In the U.S. House, the document lists out even more: Reps. David Schweikert (R-AZ), David Valadao (R-CA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Rick Allen (R-GA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Marianette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Ron Estes (R-KS), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), David Rouzer (R-NC), Doug Latta (R-OH), Tom Cole (R-OK), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Cliff Bentz (R-OR), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Austin Pfluger (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Blake Moore (R-UT), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA).
Also listed, with strikethroughs of their names, are members the document authors knew are not coming back in 2025: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ).
It is worth noting that none of these members has as of yet voted against repealing all or part of the IRA, since no such vote has yet taken place, but the fact this leftist trade association has this very specific list of targeted Republicans is interesting, to say the least. Many of them might vote for repeal if and when the time comes, but the fact this group has them on a target list as Republicans who may vote to protect the Biden green energy agenda—a list meant to serve almost as a whip count of how to help Biden–is very interesting indeed. What’s more, the leftist trade association seems to be preparing for the worst for its cause–the likely return of Trump to the White House with emboldened Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. While the group may not publicly admit it, in its private confidential planning documents it is quite clearly planning for that scenario above any other scenario.
Pyle, the conservative energy group leader, told Breitbart News that the left has “so much cash” they are “swimming in” money—which is the only hope of protecting the highly unpopular Biden agenda.
“None of their ideas are popular with voters,” Pyle said. “A straight up or down on Biden’s agenda would get crushed. This is the name of the game for them—try to spend as much as possible to protect their gains during the Democrat administration.”
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