{"id":630271,"date":"2025-08-28T06:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T10:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/?p=630271"},"modified":"2025-09-03T10:36:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T14:36:10","slug":"how-a-koch-funded-campaign-is-trying-to-reverse-climate-action-in-vermont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2025\/08\/28\/how-a-koch-funded-campaign-is-trying-to-reverse-climate-action-in-vermont\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Koch-funded campaign is trying to reverse climate action in Vermont"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1663\" data-attachment-id=\"629363\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1663\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Rep. Chris Keyser, R-Rutland City, speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\\\/VTDigger&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755043343&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;110&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;americans-prosperity-4 20250812&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"americans-prosperity-4 20250812\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Rep. Chris Keyser, R-Rutland City, speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-1200x798.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812.jpg\" alt=\"Five men are seated on a panel in front of AFP Vermont banners, with one man speaking into a microphone during an event.\" class=\"wp-image-629363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-125x83.jpg 125w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-780x519.jpg 780w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-4-20250812-706x470.jpg 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Chris Keyser, R-Rutland City, speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This story is a partnership between <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/\"><em>VTDigger<\/em><\/a><em> and <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/grist.org\/\"><em>Grist<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For about two decades, Americans for Prosperity, the conservative political network, has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into stalling climate action nationwide. Founded by Charles and David Koch, the libertarian oil billionaires behind Koch Industries, the group has local chapters that block renewable standards, clean car rules and carbon pricing at the state level. For decades, it\u2019s been a bulwark of climate science denial that has shaped the modern-day Republican party. After notching wins against climate policy in <a href=\"https:\/\/insideclimatenews.org\/news\/29102017\/renewable-energy-ohio-rps-law-fossil-fuel-political-donations-coal\/\">states like Ohio and Kansas, the group is now testing its playbook in one of the bluest states in the country: Vermont. <\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In March 2023, the group launched its Vermont presence as part of its 50-state strategy to involve Americans for Prosperity in traditionally more progressive states like California and New York. In the two and a half years since, the group has spent tens of thousands of dollars launching mail and digital campaigns targeting the state\u2019s energy legislation like the Affordable Heat Act. It has also testified in favor of repealing laws like the Global Warming Solutions Act.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work in Vermont is being led by Ross Connolly, the group\u2019s 34-year-old northeast regional director. Connolly, who grew up in New Hampshire, where he now lives, has said that his work in Vermont was focused on deregulating state government and helping residents realize their American dream. On a recent podcast, he called Vermont \u201cbizarro-New Hampshire.\u201d He later said that was due to its geographic upside-downness along with its politics, which zigged to the left while New Hampshire zagged to the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI could talk endlessly about all the good things New Hampshire\u2019s doing and all the bad things that Vermont has done,\u201d Connolly said on the podcast, 802 Scoop. Vermont\u2019s Republican governor, Phil Scott, \u201chas been a great champion for Vermonters here, but there\u2019s a lot more work to do here than New Hampshire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In July, the group launched an <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/press-release\/americans-for-prosperity-launches-accountability-campaign-over-vermonts-affordability-crisis-and-bloated-state-budget\/\">affordability road show<\/a>, and in a <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/press-release\/americans-for-prosperity-launches-accountability-campaign-over-vermonts-affordability-crisis-and-bloated-state-budget\/\">media release, <\/a>Connolly wrote that \u201cthe state\u2019s progressive majority has chosen to inflate taxes and increase regulations\u201d and \u201cadvance their own radical agenda.\u201d He expressed gratitude to Scott for his \u201ccontinued commitment to Vermonters despite the progressive majority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vermont, often the first to go blue on national election nights, has served as a testing ground for national legislation like the right to same-sex marriage and now a law to hold oil companies accountable for their pollution. Perhaps one of its best-known exports, U.S. senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has a long history of opposition to Koch-backed groups like Americans for Prosperity. He was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/five-years-after-citizens_b_6516246\">vocal opponent<\/a> of the Citizens United case, which opened up election influence to the billionaire class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo many groups on the right, center-right, don\u2019t get involved in the northeast outside of New Hampshire or Pennsylvania,\u201d Connolly said in an interview before an event the group hosted at a golf course this month in Rutland, Vermont. \u201cIf we don\u2019t fight for people in those areas we\u2019re never going to make any sort of difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But well-funded campaigns like the ones Americans for Prosperity has launched in Vermont \u2014 with a total of <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/753148958\">$186 million at the national group\u2019s disposal, according to its 2023 nonprofit filings<\/a> \u2014 are unfamiliar for the small state, where grassroots politics have long ruled. The annual tradition of Town Meeting Day, for example, marks a regular practice of direct democracy at the local level.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Americans for Prosperity claims its driving mission is helping Vermonters afford to live in the state. But its founding and financing by some of the richest oil men in the world, and a history of spewing climate disinformation, casts that in doubt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Americans for Prosperity is one of the first conservative dark money groups to enter Vermont politics in a big way. Other high-profile groups have often supported liberal causes, and those groups were often funding candidates. Americans for Prosperity doesn\u2019t directly fund candidates; its nonprofit status means it seeks to influence policies and elections through other means like mailers, ad campaigns, and in-person meetings. AFP-Action, an associated super PAC, does spend hundreds of millions on federal elections in support of right-wing politicians, but has not yet invested in a Vermont candidate, according to Connolly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Vermont, Connolly said Americans for Prosperity aims to help make the state more moderate. Its arrival comes on the heels of an election where Vermont lost more Democratic seats than any other state in the nation, and the state is struggling with <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2024\/10\/25\/this-election-vermont-republicans-control-the-narrative-on-property-taxes-will-that-flip-legislative-seats\/\">rising housing, health care, and education costs<\/a>, which makes their affordability message especially salient.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The organization has been planting seeds in Vermont, especially when it comes to energy policies it hopes to see repealed. And as the group has repeatedly said on podcasts, during panels, and in an interview with VTDigger, it plans to root here permanently.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the summer, the group organized about half a dozen speaking events, including in Rutland. Four legislators spoke at the panel event, including Republican legislators from the Rutland region: Rep. Todd Nielsen, Rep. Chris Keyser, and Sen. Terry Williams, who joined the Legislature in 2023 and serves on the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While organizers expected 30 people in Rutland, about 15 came, including local officials and former legislators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Williams said he was expecting more. He heard about the group two weeks earlier when Rachel Burgin, the organization\u2019s northeast regional deputy director, contacted him. Burgin, who lives in Georgia, is one of three lobbyists registered in the state through 2026, along with Connolly and Lauren Schley, whose LinkedIn page says she works for Americans for Prosperity out of Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No one who works for Americans for Prosperity on Vermont issues lives in Vermont, Connolly said, though he noted one person in the national office lives in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sen. Anne Watson, D\/P-Washington, said groups like Americans for Prosperity opposed the energy transition because it undercut the profits of its oil tycoon founders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVermonters need to be savvy about that,\u201d Watson said, \u201cand recognize when outside influence is coming in to try and affect our policies and our elections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1663\" data-attachment-id=\"629362\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1663\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Ross Connolly of Americans for Prosperity speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by the group at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\\\/VTDigger&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755043639&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;americans-prosperity-5 20250812&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"americans-prosperity-5 20250812\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Ross Connolly of Americans for Prosperity speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by the group at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-1200x798.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812.jpg\" alt=\"A man speaks into a microphone while seated in a row with four other men during a panel discussion.\" class=\"wp-image-629362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-125x83.jpg 125w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-780x519.jpg 780w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-5-20250812-706x470.jpg 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ross Connolly of Americans for Prosperity speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by the group at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AFP sets its sights on energy policy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While the group first arrived in the state in 2023, it launched its first campaign last summer by attacking a first-of-its-kind climate policy \u2014 Act 18. The law studied the feasibility of a clean heat standard, which was intended to lower fossil fuel emissions from thermal energy sources like heating oil commonly used to warm Vermont homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe focused on it because we came here and heard from Vermonters, and that was the one thing we heard across the board, was the concern on energy costs, and if that bill was implemented the amount of money that would cost the state and ratepayers,\u201d Connolly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporters of Act 18 said the law was intended to regulate price-volatile fossil fuels and speed up the transition to cleaner sources like electric heat pumps. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/speaker.vermont.gov\/press-releases\/speaker-krowinski-issues-update-affordable-heat-act-misinformation-campaign-koch\">press release last year<\/a>, Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, wrote the cost of heating oil had jumped from $2 per gallon in 2020 to $5.87 per gallon in November 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe goal of the Affordable Heat Act is to help insulate Vermonters from fossil-fuel price swings, and to make it easier and more affordable for them to transition \u2013 if they want to \u2013 to more sustainable energy sources,\u201d Krowinski wrote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Americans for Prosperity opposed Act 18 and in May 2024 launched \u201ca major five-part mail and digital campaign\u201d that initially cost more than $63,000, according to the group\u2019s disclosures. Another group within the state, Vermonters for Affordable Heat, supported by the state\u2019s locally owned fuel dealers, <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2024\/11\/01\/supporters-and-opponents-of-clean-heat-policy-have-spent-big-this-election\/\">spent around $11,300 on postcards and a petition<\/a> opposing the law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Liberal groups <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2024\/11\/01\/supporters-and-opponents-of-clean-heat-policy-have-spent-big-this-election\/\">spent much more money in support of the law<\/a>, but that money largely came through super PACs, political action committees that can raise unlimited sums of money to fund campaigns but cannot coordinate directly with parties or candidates. The out-of-state Green Advocacy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based pro-clean heat group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vermontpublic.org\/local-news\/2024-10-17\/clean-heat-proposal-pulls-dark-money-into-vermont-political-races\">contributed three times that<\/a> \u2014 $180,000 \u2014 to a Vermont super PAC to boost candidates supporting the program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within Vermont, the super PAC Vermont Conservation Voters, part of the national League of Conservation Voters, spent almost $218,500 on pro-clean heat mailers, ads and videos, endorsing candidates with environmental records the group supported. While it supports election reform that wouldn\u2019t allow for super PACS, the organization\u2019s political director Justin Marsh t<a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2024\/11\/01\/supporters-and-opponents-of-clean-heat-policy-have-spent-big-this-election\/\">old VTDigger in November<\/a> that the growing presence of Americans for Prosperity was the reason they spent more than in past election cycles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"903\" data-attachment-id=\"630245\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/afp-mailer\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1566,1179\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"AFP mailer\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A mailer sent by Americans for Prosperity. Courtesy of May Hanlon&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-300x226.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-1200x903.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-1200x903.jpeg\" alt=\"A political flyer claims Vermont Democrat progressives are raising costs, asks if residents can pay more, and promotes a petition for legislative accountability.\" class=\"wp-image-630245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-1200x903.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-300x226.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-125x94.jpeg 125w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-768x578.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-1536x1156.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-400x301.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-200x150.jpeg?crop=1 200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-1024x771.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-780x587.jpeg 780w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer-706x532.jpeg 706w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AFP-mailer.jpeg 1566w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mailer sent by Americans for Prosperity. Photo courtesy of May Hanlon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Legislators, local officials and advocates who spoke to VTDigger said they weren\u2019t aware of any other conservative out-of-state group like Americans for Prosperity spending tens-of-thousands of dollars to influence Vermont politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other groups like the Ethan Allen Institute, part of the State Policy Network, another Koch-affiliated group, have occasionally run conservative advertising campaigns in the state, according to Ben Walsh, climate and energy program director at Vermont Public Interest Research Group, an environmental advocacy organization. But that group has far less funding and is not concentrated on climate policies, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI imagine a group like AFP with long and well-documented ties to the fossil fuel industry has a real interest in making sure policy that\u2019s good for clean energy and bad for fossil fuels is not enacted, and if anything, it\u2019s a little surprising that they didn\u2019t show up sooner,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cBut now that they\u2019re here, they\u2019re making it very clear that anything good for the transition to clean energy is something they oppose.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In March 2025, a month before Americans for Prosperity settled a lobbying violation with the state, the political advocacy group launched a second state-wide mail campaign, spending $13,425 between March 13 and June 12, according to lobbying disclosures.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mailer said Vermonters should call their legislators and ask them to repeal Act 18, claiming the law \u201cguarantees energy price hikes across the state,\u201d according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/press-release\/afp-launches-new-mail-campaign-rejecting-act-18\/\">media release<\/a>. The associated <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AFP-VT-RepealAct18-Mailer.pdf\">mailer, sent to Vermont households this spring<\/a>, stated \u201cVermonters want Energy Abundance. Vermonters are responsible. They do not need Government mandates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it had moved forward, Vermont\u2019s clean heat standard would have been the first in the nation. But lawmakers never passed the program, largely because a Public Utility Commission report found the program would be too expensive to implement without help from other states in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-light-blue-background-color has-background\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1c1b4f74 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c0213cbd22f6b8fbb5ef50a67f12df73\" style=\"padding-bottom:0\">READ MORE<\/h5>\n\n\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha show-image image-alignleft ts-4 is-2 is-landscape mobile-stack  has-text-align-left\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"630271\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"603435\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-carl-demrow tag-jason-maulucci tag-jay-hooper tag-katherine-sims tag-property-taxes tag-vermont-republicans category-government-politics type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2024\/10\/25\/this-election-vermont-republicans-control-the-narrative-on-property-taxes-will-that-flip-legislative-seats\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-1200x900.jpg?crop=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"This election, Vermont Republicans control the narrative on property taxes. Will that flip legislative seats?\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-1200x900.jpg?crop=1 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-800x600.jpg?crop=1 800w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-600x450.jpg?crop=1 600w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-400x300.jpg?crop=1 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-200x150.jpg?crop=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" data-attachment-id=\"581357\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1650\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;People listen during a press conference held by Downstream Vermonters, a coalition of people opposed to higher taxes and more regulations coming from the state government, at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell\\\/VTDigger&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1715274451&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;downstream-vermonters-4 20240509&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"downstream-vermonters-4 20240509\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;People listen during a press conference held by Downstream Vermonters, a coalition of people opposed to higher taxes and more regulations coming from the state government, at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-300x198.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/downstream-vermonters-4-20240509-1200x792.jpg\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2024\/10\/25\/this-election-vermont-republicans-control-the-narrative-on-property-taxes-will-that-flip-legislative-seats\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">This election, Vermont Republicans control the narrative on property taxes. Will that flip legislative seats?<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/author\/ethan-weinstein\/\">Ethan Weinstein<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2024-10-25T07:10:00-04:00\">October 25, 2024, 7:10 am<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVermont was considering this first-of-its-kind clean heat standard that would hold fossil fuel companies to a standard of actually reducing carbon emissions in a way that the electric utility sector has had to do for decades,\u201d said Elena Mihaly, vice president for the Vermont chapter of the Conservation Law Foundation, a clean energy advocacy group based in New England. \u201cThey were trying to nip it in the bud here in Vermont before it got out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connolly said his group advocated for the full repeal because progressive legislators were trying to wait it out until they had a majority again and \u201ccould force it down the throat of Vermonters when Vermonters don\u2019t want this policy at all.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watson, chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, which is in charge of the bill, said that while she wasn\u2019t necessarily saying the clean heat standard should move forward, she disagreed that Vermonters didn\u2019t want effective clean energy policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe know Vermonters care about climate change, and they care about affordability,\u201d Watson said. \u201cBoth of those things are met by advancing renewables and renewable energy sources in the state because the vast majority are cheaper than their fossil fuel counterparts.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the clean heat standard never became a law, it doesn\u2019t impact Vermonters\u2019 utility bills. But Americans for Prosperity has repeatedly said the state\u2019s energy policies, including laws like the Global Warming Solutions Act, have \u201cwithout a doubt\u201d driven costs higher for consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group is also against federal subsidies for energy programs that could lower energy costs for low-income Vermonters. In the days before the Rutland event, <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2025\/08\/11\/trump-cuts-62-5-million-in-promised-federal-funding-to-vermont-solar-projects\/\">the state lost $62.5 million<\/a> promised for solar programs after the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d axed federal clean energy initiatives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe believe those subsidies should have ended,\u201d Connolly said of Solar for All. Upon the passage of the Trump omnibus bill that withdrew the funding, the national group <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/watch\/\">threw a party<\/a> called the One Big Beautiful Bash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of renewables, Connolly said the region needed more nuclear energy, <a href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2025\/04\/01\/gov-phil-scott-and-new-england-governors-explore-cutting-edge-nuclear-technology\/\">such as small modular nuclear reactors<\/a>, which have yet to be developed anywhere in the U.S., as well as the expansion of natural gas pipelines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe should look at all the options on the table,\u201d Rep. Zachary Harvey, R-Castleton, said of natural gas and nuclear power, after speaking at the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connolly said his group was also against the Climate Superfund Act, which charges oil companies for greenhouse gas emissions between 1995 and 2024. The law applies a \u201cpolluter pays\u201d mindset to climate recovery, potentially giving Vermont resources to build back from disasters like recent devastating floods.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf your concern is climate change, that does absolutely nothing to solve climate change,\u201d Connolly said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s sort of petty type politics where it\u2019s like, we\u2019re going after Big Oil and punishing them,\u201d Connolly continued. \u201cVermont isn\u2019t going to bankrupt ExxonMobil or any of these companies. You\u2019re just going to drive them out of your state and drive energy costs higher because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On podcasts, in interviews and during speaking events, Connolly has repeated the same talking point: Vermont isn\u2019t going to solve climate change. Harvey agreed, and said the Rutland event wasn\u2019t about climate denialism, noting Williams told the room, \u201cWe agree there\u2019s climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not denying climate change exists,\u201d Connolly told VTDigger. \u201cWe\u2019re saying the way we\u2019re going about it in this state is hurting people, and we should put people first and solve the problem in a more reasonable and moderate way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1663\" data-attachment-id=\"629364\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1663\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;People listen during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\\\/VTDigger&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755044253&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;4500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;americans-prosperity-3 20250812&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"americans-prosperity-3 20250812\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;People listen during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-1200x798.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812.jpg\" alt=\"A group of older adults sits at tables, attentively listening during an indoor event.\" class=\"wp-image-629364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-125x83.jpg 125w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-780x519.jpg 780w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-3-20250812-706x470.jpg 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People listen during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Kingpins\u2019 of climate science denial<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Connolly\u2019s acknowledgment of climate change may be a made-for-Vermont approach, but that tone doesn\u2019t match the two decades of action Americans for Prosperity has taken to sow disinformation about climate science.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was founded in 2004 by libertarian billionaires Charles Koch and his late brother David Koch, who died in 2019. They amassed wealth through Koch Industries, an oil refinery and pipeline conglomerate that has siphoned up many other companies since their father created the business in the 1930s, profiting through deals with the Stalin and Hitler regimes, according to <em>Dark Money, <\/em>a book by Jane Mayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, the Koch family <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/forbes-400\/\">grew their worth to more than $141 billion<\/a>. After years among the top ten richest people in the world, David Koch\u2019s family and Charles Koch now rank 21st and 22nd, according to Fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019ve used this wealth to remake the national GOP into the party of climate denial, after government regulation of pollution and a push for renewables threatened their oil empire. In 2008, they began the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/news-desk\/koch-pledge-tied-to-congressional-climate-inaction\">\u201cNo Climate Tax Pledge,\u201d<\/a> asking officials to vote against spending money to fight climate change without equivalent tax cuts. By 2013, <a href=\"https:\/\/grist.org\/politics\/how-the-koch-brothers-screwed-over-the-climate-even-more-than-you-know\/\">411 officials had signed<\/a>, including a quarter of senators and a third of representatives, along with other leaders like U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In that era, Greenpeace called the brothers the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/koch-industries-secretly-fund\/\">\u201cfinancial kingpin of climate science denial and clean energy opposition,\u201d<\/a> partnering with and then outspending better-known oil corporations like ExxonMobil. During the first Trump administration, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/12\/13\/climate\/cafe-emissions-rollback-oil-industry.html\">launched local campaigns through Americans for Prosperity<\/a> to roll back car emissions standards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1663\" data-attachment-id=\"629366\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1663\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;People listen during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\\\/VTDigger&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755038797&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;americans-prosperity-1 20250812&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"americans-prosperity-1 20250812\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;People listen during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-1200x798.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812.jpg\" alt=\"People sit at round tables listening to a panel discussion in a conference room; an &quot;Americans for Prosperity&quot; banner stands in the foreground.\" class=\"wp-image-629366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-125x83.jpg 125w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-780x519.jpg 780w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-1-20250812-706x470.jpg 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People listen during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Under Americans for Prosperity, and a host of other front groups, the brothers have long denied the threat of climate change, and have gone as far as to say that a warming world would benefit people. David Koch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2010\/08\/30\/covert-operations\">told a reporter in 2010<\/a>: \u201cThe Earth will be able to support enormously more people because far greater land area will be available to produce food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The consensus of the international community says otherwise. A warming atmosphere <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipcc.ch\/2022\/02\/28\/pr-wgii-ar6\/\">increases food and water insecurity<\/a> for much of the planet, and causes increasingly dangerous weather events like heat waves and floods. In the two decades since Americans for Prosperity\u2019s founding, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/31\/climate\/climate-disasters-cop29-election.html\">more than half a million people were killed by the world\u2019s 10 deadliest extreme weather<\/a> events so far. All those events were made worse by the burning of fossil fuels, according to a report by World Weather Attribution, an academic outfit based at Imperial College London that scientifically quantifies how climate change influences extreme weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while the Koch brothers have publicly clashed with President Trump, they have benefited enormously from his elections, earning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibtimes.com\/political-capital\/koch-brothers-could-be-1-billion-richer-each-year-gop-tax-bill-2644857\">more than $1 billion per year<\/a> from the first Trump administration\u2019s tax bill. They plan to extend tax cuts and roll back regulations, including in the energy industry, through Americans for Prosperity\u2019s work under the second Trump administration, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25501768-americans-for-prosperity-2025-investment-prospectus-copy\/\">2025 plan<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/27\/koch-americans-for-prosperity-trump-tax-breaks\">obtained by The Guardian<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their networks have also heavily influenced both Trump teams. Under the first, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ucs.org\/elliott-negin\/its-time-for-charles-koch-to-testify-about-his-climate-change-disinformation-campaign\/\">about 50 administration<\/a> officials had ties to Koch networks, including Energy Secretary Rick Perry and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Today, key figures like Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jan\/27\/koch-americans-for-prosperity-trump-tax-breaks\">have worked closely with and donated large sums<\/a> to both Americans for Prosperity and other Koch-affiliated groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The summer campaign in Vermont comes as the second Trump administration launches an unprecedented attack on climate and clean energy policies that gained traction under the Biden administration. Along with deleting climate information and reports from federal websites, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy have spent six months deregulating fossil fuels and slashing clean energy projects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of that work was outlined by another source of environmental skepticism that received funding from the Koch brothers: the Heritage Foundation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/24088042-project-2025s-mandate-for-leadership-the-conservative-promise\/?q=NOAA&amp;mode=search\">responsible for creating Project 2025<\/a>, the unofficial blueprint for the second Trump administration. It includes the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/11\/climate\/noaa-research-budget-cuts.html\">breakup of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a>, the nation\u2019s premier climate science agency, calling it \u201cone of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.\u201d Trump\u2019s 2026 budget proposal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/11\/climate\/noaa-research-budget-cuts.html\">eliminates the agency\u2019s research arm<\/a> responsible for helping the country adapt to climate change.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1663\" data-attachment-id=\"629361\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2500,1663\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Americans for Prosperity sponsored a legislative wrap-up at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\\\/VTDigger&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1755043745&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Glenn Russell&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;180&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;americans-prosperity-6 20250812&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"americans-prosperity-6 20250812\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Americans for Prosperity sponsored a legislative wrap-up at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-1200x798.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812.jpg\" alt=\"Three men sit in front of a blue &quot;AFP Vermont&quot; banner during an indoor event or panel discussion.\" class=\"wp-image-629361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-1200x798.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-125x83.jpg 125w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-2000x1330.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-780x519.jpg 780w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/americans-prosperity-6-20250812-706x470.jpg 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Americans for Prosperity sponsored a legislative wrap-up at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Here to stay\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Vermont Democrats have made the most of Americans for Prosperity\u2019s slip ups.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On an August mailer, Americans for Prosperity had misspelled their URL -\u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/greenmountainprosperity.com\">GreenMountainProsperity.com<\/a> \u2014 instead printing <a href=\"http:\/\/greetmountainprosperity.com\">GreetMountainProsperity.com<\/a>. Around midnight on Aug. 8, May Hanlon, the 26-year-old executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party, spotted the error and bought the misspelled web domain for $12.19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, when users visit the website, a two-minute video pops up in which Hanlon calls the Americans for Prosperity mailer \u201csloppy\u201d and \u201cfull of false claims about what Democrats are doing in the state legislature.\u201d Visitors are redirected to a webpage about Democratic wins during the 2025 legislative session, emphasizing affordability concerns like housing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile Americans for Prosperity spent thousands of dollars on a recent mailer to spread misinformation about our legislators&#8217; priorities, they misspelled their own website,\u201d Hanlon said in a text message. \u201cThey can\u2019t get their own website right, so it\u2019s no surprise their claims don\u2019t add up.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Months earlier, the Virginia-based group was fined thousands of dollars for violating Vermont law on a mailer asking Vermonters to contact their legislators to repeal Act 18. That mailer said the campaign was \u201cPaid for by Americans for Prosperity Vermont.\u201d But that group was not registered in the state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vermont law requires that a lobbying advertisement like a mailer contain the name of the entity that paid for it, according to an email sent by the Vermont Attorney General\u2019s Office, which responded to a formal complaint by Jim Dandeneau, the former executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/ago.vermont.gov\/sites\/ago\/files\/documents\/AFP_AOD%20Signed.pdf\">settlement with the state on April 29<\/a>, Americans for Prosperity agreed to stop using that name and paid a $3,000 fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t really comment on legal things,\u201d Connolly said of the settlement. \u201cThat has been resolved. It was just, I think, a miscommunication. We changed our disclaimers. No problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said the fine didn\u2019t reflect the work the group was doing in Vermont, where he said it has had over 5,000 Vermonters take direct action like mailing letters or making calls since 2023.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat mailer was received very positively, again focusing on the moderation of the legislature and the issues that Vermonters care about,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cLittle disputes in election law are not top of mind for Vermonters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harvey, a first-term legislator appointed by Gov. Scott in January, said Vermont needs groups like Americans for Prosperity to revitalize voters. He first met the lobbyists during a dinner in Stowe early in the 2025 legislative session, and said even though the group came from out of state, they\u2019d made an effort to get to know legislators and were committed to policies he supported.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Connolly, a rightward transition in his politics came during college, when he read Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek, a book that argues government planning can lead to tyranny and also radicalized Charles Koch\u2019s politics, according to <em>Dark Money.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduating, Connolly worked for Republican campaigns before joining Americans for Prosperity in 2013. The group has since expanded to <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/state-chapters\/\">37 state chapters<\/a>, but the only chapter across six New England states is New Hampshire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connolly ran that state\u2019s chapter before taking on the entire New England region. Down the road, the nonprofit could establish a chapter in Vermont, which would give it infrastructure and full-time staff and enable a permanent presence in the state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe promise we will be here for the long term,\u201d Connolly told the audience at Rutland. \u201cWe at AFP are not going anywhere.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Ethan Weinstein and Shaun Robinson contributed reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jane Mayer is a board member of the Vermont Journalism Trust, which operates VTDigger.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Correction: A previous version of this story had the wrong legislative office and district for Rep. Zachary Harvey<\/em> <em>and misstated the committee that Sen. Anne Watson chairs. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Americans for Prosperity claims its mission is to make Vermont more affordable. But its founding and financing by some of the world\u2019s richest oil men and a history of spreading climate disinformation has raised doubts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1825,"featured_media":629363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-28T10:55:10Z","apple_news_api_id":"2ebc8067-0bcc-4aa2-be2d-dfbfd2f03d80","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-09-03T14:36:18Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ALryAZwvMSqK-Ld-_0vA9gA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"everlit_article_id":"","everlit_hide_embed":false,"everlit_embed_size":"","everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_article_id":"","_everlit_hide_embed":false,"_everlit_embed_size":"","_everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_content_hash":"","_everlit_metadata_hash":"","_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Americans for Prosperity claims its mission is to make Vermont more affordable. But its founding and financing by some of the world\u2019s richest oil men and a history of spreading climate disinformation has raised doubts.","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162356],"tags":[172105,172104,584,171841,5491,172091],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"govpack_profile_tax":[],"coauthors":[171997],"class_list":["post-630271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","tag-act-18","tag-americans-for-prosperity","tag-climate-change","tag-vtdigger-community-news-sharing-project","tag-super-pacs","tag-trending-stories","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How a Koch-funded campaign is trying to reverse climate action in Vermont - VTDigger<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2025\/08\/28\/how-a-koch-funded-campaign-is-trying-to-reverse-climate-action-in-vermont\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a Koch-funded campaign is trying to reverse climate action in Vermont - VTDigger\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Americans for Prosperity claims its mission is to make Vermont more affordable. 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Chris Keyser, R-Rutland City, speaks during a legislative wrap-up sponsored by Americans for Prosperity at the Rutland Country Club on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. 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