Facebook and Google have both made public commitments to be the type of companies that are environmentally responsible. However, this notion led several people to wonder why they were funding an organization like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Facebook had also previously funded the State Policy Network, which is composed of 64 state-based "mini-Heritage Foundations." The network has also opposed climate change regulation and had supported other corporate-friendly policies. Moreover, it also pushes ALEC's agenda, which include the organization's attack on renewable energy. It's unclear whether Facebook is still funding SPN.
ALEC's waning image, which later earned global criticism, can be attributed to its opposition to legislation on curbing carbon emissions, policies that are anti-union and support to extreme state level rightwing policies.
The organization's denial of climate change has irked several companies such as Microsoft and Google, with each one saying that their company should break away.
"The people who oppose it are really hurting our children and grandchildren and making the world a much worse place," said Google's chairman Eric Schmidt on NPR's Diane Rehm Show. "We should not be aligned with such people. They are just literally lying."
On Sept. 22, Schmidt announced on a radio show that Google is ending its membership with the organization.
Microsoft had already severed ties in August and expressed that ALEC's stance on climate change and other social issues is in direct conflict with the company's own values.
Silicon Valley firms, known to be relatively new to issues that are politically inspired, have given support to both conservative and liberal candidates and groups. However, tech companies have been forced to re-evaluate their strategies after getting public pressure on global warming issues.
For several years, climate-sensitive activists have tried to convince tech companies and other firms to end ties with ALEC. The organization held conferences in the past and presented counter-arguments on the validity of climate science, which include "Warming Up to Climate Change: the Many Benefits of increased CO2." Other issues that the organization has been concerned about include the repeal of Renewable Portfolio Standards, the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, and the call on state legislators to launch a "Guerilla Warfare" that opposes the Environmental Protection Agency.
Just one day after Google's announcement, Facebook also announced that the company is most likely discontinuing their ALEC membership in 2015.
"We re-evaluate our memberships on an annual basis and are in that process now," said a Facebook representative. "While we have tried to work within ALEC to bring that organization closer to our view on some key issues, it seems unlikely that we will make sufficient progress so we are not likely to renew our membership in 2015."
