Secret Donors, Conflicts of Interest, the Center for American Progress

The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks [Updated on 5/24] | The Nation: "The Center for American Progress, Washington’s leading liberal think tank, has been a big backer of the Energy Department’s $25 billion loan guarantee program for renewable energy projects. CAP has specifically praised First Solar, a firm that received $3.73 billion under the program, and its Antelope Valley project in California."

Washington institutions (like the liberal Center for American Progress) esteemed for their independent scholarship don’t disclose donations from corporations and foreign governments --

"CAP (Center for American Progress) is a strong proponent of alternative energy, so there’s no reason to doubt the sincerity of its advocacy. But the fact that CAP has received financial support from First Solar while touting its virtues to Washington policy-makers points to a conflict of interest that, critics argue, ought to be disclosed to the public. CAP’s promotion of the company’s interests has supplemented First Solar’s aggressive Washington lobbying efforts, on which it spent more than $800,000 during 2011 and 2012." (source supra)

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