[env-trinity] Agribusiness dumps $850, 000 into Prop. 1!/Walton Family gave $9, 234, 866 to NGOs backing water bond/Moore Foundation spent $18 million on MLPA Initiative

Dan Bacher danielbacher at fishsniffer.com
Thu Oct 9 15:34:12 PDT 2014


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/09/1335459/-Corporate-Agribusiness-dumps-850-000-into-Proposition-1




Corporate agribusiness dumps $850,000 into Prop. 1!

by Dan Bacher

Opponents of Proposition 1, the controversial State Water Bond, today  
blasted Governor Jerry Brown and the backers of Prop. 1 for taking  
$850,000 in contributions from big agribusiness donors to pass public  
funding for water transfers to enrich them - and to enable the biggest  
dam-building program in California history.

Stewart Resnick, the Beverly Hills billionaire “farmer” who has made  
millions off of reselling environmental water to the public, has  
donated $150,000 to the Yes on Prop 1 campaign. Resnick and his wife,  
Lynda, have been instrumental in promoting campaigns to eviscerate  
Endangered Species Act protections for Central Valley Chinook salmon  
and Delta smelt populations and to build the fish-killing peripheral  
tunnels. (http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/rally-outside-the-resnick-mansion-on-october-2-luncheon-with-the-koch-broth/ 
)

Adam Scow from Food and Water Watch noted, “Corporate agribusiness  
giants, including Stewart Resnick, are spending big to pass  
Proposition 1, a bloated $7.5 billion bond measure that would funnel  
more water to big agribusinesses at taxpayer expense. Prop 1 is a  
measure to quench their greed—it will not solve California’s water  
problems."

The Western Growers Association, the California Farm Bureau  
Federation, and the California Cotton Alliance have contributed a  
total of $700,000 to the Prop. 1 campaign to ensure the construction  
of Sites Reservoir and Temperance Flat dam.

“Proposition 1 burdens taxpayers with debt to build projects for  
billion-dollar farming conglomerates that make up groups like Western  
Growers and the California Cotton Alliance," said Barbara Barrigan- 
Parrilla of Restore the Delta, who is the No on Prop 1 field director.  
"It includes the largest appropriation for new dams in California’s  
history that will benefit these corporate farmers who refuse to fund  
the dam projects themselves. Prop 1 will drive California and its  
taxpayers even further into debt for illusory and largely bogus  
‘environmental benefits’. Prop. 1 shifts the financial burden from  
those who directly benefit from building new dams to the taxpayers.”

These groups are making large contributions as an investment to make  
sure that their pet projects are passed through the California Water  
Commission, according to Prop. 1 opponents.

“Prop 1 will not ‘save water’ as Gov. Brown claims in ads paid for by  
these special interests.  It’s a boondoggle to enrich his big ag  
contributors,” said Barrigan-Parrilla.

Governor Jerry Brown’s Proposition 1 and 2 campaign has raised  
$6,621,946 and has spent $817,276 as of October 6, 2014, according to  
Ballotpedia:
http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_1,_Water_Bond_(2014)

The following are the donors who contributed $150,000 or more to the  
Yes on Prop.  and 2 campaign as of October 6, 2014:
Sean Parker  $1,000,000
California Alliance for Jobs - Rebuild California Committee  $500,000
Health Net  $445,600
Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition PAC  $400,000
California American Council of Engineering Companies  $250,000
California Farm Bureau Federation  $250,000
California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems  $250,000
Northern California Carpenters Regional Council Issues PAC  $250,000
Reed Hastings  $250,000
SW Regional Council Of Carpenters  $250,000
Western Growers Service Corporation  $250,000
Doris F. Fisher  $245,000
John J. Fisher  $245,000
Robert J. Fisher  $245,000
William S. Fisher  $245,000
California Cotton Alliance  $200,000
Northern California District Council Of Laborers Issues PAC  $200,000
Stewart A. Resnick  $150,000
The State Building And Construction Trades Council of CA   $150,000

For more information on Proposition 1, go to http://www.noonprop1.org



2. Walton Family Foundation gave $9,234,866 to NGOs backing water bond

Photo: Protesters block an intersection at an anti-Walmart protest in  
Roseville on November 29, 2013. Photo by Dan Bacher.

800_blocking_the_street.jpg

Walton Family Foundation gave $9,234,866 to NGOs backing water bond

by Dan Bacher

An analysis of environmental grants that the Walton Family Foundation  
gave to conservation organizations in 2013 reveals that NGOs  
supporting Proposition 1, the water bond on California's November 4  
ballot, received $9,234,866 in grants while opponents of the  
controversial measure received none.

The Walton Family Foundation is governed by the descendants of Sam and  
Helen Walton, the founders of retail giant Walmart.

“The Walton Family Foundation continues a philanthropic vision begun  
by Walmart founders Sam and Helen Walton,” according to the Foundation  
website. “Across diverse areas of giving that include education  
reform, freshwater and marine conservation and community and economic  
development, Walton family members carry forward the timeless Walton  
value of creating opportunity so that individuals and communities can  
live better in today’s world.”

Supporters of the water bond getting money from the Walton Family  
Foundation in 2013 include the Nature Conservancy, National Audubon  
Society (the parent organization of Audubon California, a bond  
backer), Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Defenders of Wildlife and  
Ducks Unlimited. The Foundation lists their environmental  
contributions in three categories: freshwater conservation, marine  
conservation and other conservation grants. (http://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/2013-environment-grants 
)

The Nature Conservancy received a total of $5,482,699 from the Walton  
Family Foundation in 2013. This includes $1,545,963 for freshwater  
conservation on the Colorado River, $1,437,986 for freshwater  
conservation on the Mississippi River. $475,000 for marine  
conservation, and $2,023,750 for other conservation grants.

National Audubon Society, the parent organization of Audubon  
California, received $2,570,767, including $312,100 for freshwater  
conservation on the Colorado River, $2,058,667 for freshwater  
conservation on the Mississippi River and $200,000 for marine  
conservation.

Trout Unlimited was awarded $610,650 for freshwater conservation on  
the Colorado River.

American Rivers received $424,400 for freshwater conservation on the  
Colorado River.

Defenders of Wildlife got $100,058 for freshwater conservation on the  
Mississippi River.

Finally, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. received $46,292 for freshwater  
conservation on the Mississippi River from the Walton Family Foundation.

On the other side, opponents of the water bond include the California  
Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Striped Bass Association,  
California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), Center for Biological  
Diversity, Central Delta Water Agency, Concerned Citizens Coalition of  
Stockton, Factory Farm Awareness Coalition, Friends of the River, Food  
and Water Watch, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations,  
Restore the Delta, San Francisco Crab Boat Association, Sherman Island  
Duck Hunters Association, Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermens’  
Association, Save the American Association , South Delta Water Agency,  
Southern California Watershed Alliance and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

Guess how much money the Walton Family donated to these organizations  
in 2013? Zero.

Zeke Grader, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of  
Fishermen's Associations, said, “It is highly troubling to see the  
impact that Walmart and a few big foundations are having on the  
conservation of our resources, as well as the protection of our  
artisanal and traditional fisheries including tribal fisheries.”

The Walton Family Foundation is known for dumping millions of dollars  
every year into corporate environmental NGOs, including the  
Environmental Defense Fund, Conservation International, Nature  
Conservancy and the Ocean Conservancy, that promote the privatization  
of the oceans through "catch shares," questionable "marine protected  
areas" and other projects.

For more information about the Walton Family Foundation and the  
environmental NGOs that it funds, go to: http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/11/29/walmarting-the-rivers-and-oceans/

For more information on Proposition 1, go to http://www.noonprop1.org



3. From Hawaii to California, Moore Foundation Violates Indigenous  
Rights

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-spent-over-18-million-on-mlpa-initiative/

GORDON AND BETTY MOORE FOUNDATION SPENT OVER $18 MILLION ON MLPA  
INITIATIVE
Written By: Dan Bacher, October 8, 2014

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the foundation that was  
established by Intel founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty,  
contributed $18,086,716, through the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation,  
to fund the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative in California  
from 2004 to 2012.
The MLPA Initiative was a controversial process that created a network  
of alleged "marine protected areas" in California, including "State  
Marine Reserves" that continue to violate traditional tribal gathering  
and fishing rights.

The foundation gave the first grant of $2,714,946 to fund the MLPA  
process in 2004. The foundation then contributed $3,305,628 for Phase  
2 of the MLPA Initiative Phase in May 2007, $7,066,142 for Phase 3 in  
July 2008, and $5,000,000 for Phase 4 in February 2012. (http://www.moore.org/grants/list/GBMF589 
)
In one of the biggest conflicts of interest in California  
environmental history, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the President of the  
Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), chaired the Marine Life  
Protection Act Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force that created so- 
called "marine protected areas" in Southern California.
These alleged "Yosemites of the Sea" fail to the protect the ocean  
from fracking, oil drilling, pollution, military testing, corporate  
aquaculture and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and  
gathering.
In spite of claims by MLPA Initiative advocates that the Initiative  
"protects" tribal rights, the State Marine Reserves created under the  
process in fact attempt to ban members of the Yurok Tribe and other  
North Coast Tribes from fishing and gathering in their traditional  
gathering areas.
“Whether it is their intention or not, what the Marine Life Protection  
Act does to tribes is it systematically decimates our ability to be  
who we are,” said Frankie Joe Myers, Coastal Justice Coalition  
organizer and Yurok Tribe member, on the day of a peaceful direct  
action takeover by over 300 members of 50 Indian Nations and their  
allies at a MLPA Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in Fort  
Bragg in July 2010. “That is the definition of cultural genocide.” (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/07/22/18654513.php 
)
More recently, in the 2014 election edition of the Yurok Today  
newsletter (http://www.moore.org/grants/list/GBMF589), Yurok Tribe  
Vice Chairperson Susan Masten said:
"The State of California is beginning to implement the so-called  
Marine Life Protection Act. From the very start, the Tribe has not  
supported this initiative because it does not recognize the Tribe’s  
inherent hunting and gathering rights. Also, the Act lacked the  
sophistication required to properly steward the diverse ecosystems on  
the Yurok coastline.
Since time immemorial, the Yurok Tribe has practiced a highly  
effective method of marine resource management, which has ensured an  
abundance of sea life to sustain our people. The Creator gave us the  
right to properly harvest marine resources in the coastal areas within  
Yurok Ancestral Territory. With this right, comes a great duty to  
protect and conserve these resources. To that end, we are developing  
our own marine life management program, based on our traditional  
knowledge of ocean ecosystems as well as western science."
The MLPA Initiative officials also failed to appoint any Tribal  
scientists to the MLPA "Science Advisory Team" for the North Coast.  
Meanwhile, the Co-Chair of the "Science Advisory Team," Ron LeValley,  
was sentenced this May by a federal judge to 10 months in federal  
prison for conspiracy to embezzle over $852,000$ from the Yurok Tribe.  
(http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/former-mlpa-science-co-chair-sentenced-to-10-months-in-federal-prison/ 
)
In an apparent attempt to manipulate the science, the same Ron  
LeValley and his cohorts on the "Science Advisory Team" rejected  
studies and presentations by Yurok Tribe scientists  that challenged  
the terminally flawed and incomplete "science" that the MLPA  
Initiative was based upon.
For more information on the Moore Foundation's funding of the MLPA  
Initiative, go to: http://www.moore.org/grants/list/GBMF589. To read  
about the MLPA Initiative's Inconvenient Truths, go to: https://intercontinentalcry.org/the-five-inconvenient-truths-about-the-mlpa-initiative/
The Moore Foundation is also the largest private funder of the Thirty  
Meter Telescope (TMT), a project that will desecrate Mauna Kea, a  
sacred mountain on the Big Island of Hawaii. The foundation provided  
an early investment of $50 million towards designing the TMT in 2003.  
In 2007 they pledged an additional $200 million toward completion of  
the design phase and partial cost of early construction near the  
summit of the Maunakea volcano in Hawaii. (http://www.moore.org/programs/science/thirty-meter-telescope 
)

Mauna Kea is sacred to the Hawaiian people, who maintain a deep  
connection and spiritual tradition there that goes back millennia.  
Native Hawaiian activist and singer Hawane Rios says the Thirty Meter  
telescope will be 18 stories tall and cover 6 acres of the top of  
Mauna Kea.

“The TMT is an atrocity the size of Aloha Stadium,” said Kamahana  
Kealoha, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner and organizer of those who  
held a successful protest at Mauna Kea on October 7. “It is like  
building a sky-scraper on top of the mountain, a place that is being  
violated in many ways culturally, environmentally and spiritually.”

The blocking of the access to the summit by protesters disrupted a  
planned groundbreaking ceremony, forcing officials to delay the  
groundbreaking to another time. (http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/278457291.html 
)
 From the summit of Mauna Kea to the shores of California's North  
Coast, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation appears to be committed  
to descecrating sacred sites and violating the rights of Indigenous  
Peoples.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20141009/53de7493/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: meet_the_resnicks.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 45364 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20141009/53de7493/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_blocking_the_street.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 363200 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20141009/53de7493/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_ncmpas-136x177.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 25336 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20141009/53de7493/attachment-0002.jpg>


More information about the env-trinity mailing list