Despite ALEC Split, Google’s Links To Climate Change Denial Run Deep

"Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has given $29,000 over the past six years to politicians who could be lumped in with the “liars” on climate change that he denounced this week.

Schmidt’s donations to eight Republican legislators since 2008 have become part of Google’s complicated relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council, the powerful conservative policy organization colloquially known as ALEC.

Earlier this week, Schmidt sent ripples through Silicon Valley when told a syndicated radio show host that Google would end its membership with ALEC, saying it was among groups who were “literally lying” about climate change. Within days, word came that Facebook, Yahoo and Yelp announced that they had either ended or were planning to end their connection to the influential organization, whose 200 member companies have 33 million employees. None of those tech companies would publicly or pointedly attribute to their departures to differences over global warming."

Joe Garofoli and David R. Baker report for the San Francisco Chronicle September 25, 2014.