REVEALED: THE AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE’S NEW ENGLAND DIRECTOR IS ALSO A LOCAL REPUBLICAN PARTY OPERATIVE
Fossil fuel lobbyists and politicians are known to have cozy relationships. But this one is special.
The Executive Director of the New England Petroleum Council (NEPC), a regional arm of the American Petroleum Institute (API), is also a local Republican party operative. Steve Dodge, a long time lobbyist for the API in New England, is the treasurer of the Pembroke, Massachusetts Republican Town Committee (REPTC). As such, Dodge can gain access and donate money to Massachusetts politicians outside the conventional lobbying routes within the state legislature.
Dodge began working for the NEPC in 1997 and served as Associate Director until July last year, when he was appointed Executive Director. Before joining the NEPC he directed the legislative office of former Massachusetts Republican Governor, William Weld.
In the meantime, Dodge became been involved in local GOP politics in his hometown of Pembroke in Plymouth County. Stretching along Boston’s South Shore, the region is a traditionally conservative and
right-leaning area. Pembroke, together with nearby towns such as Hanover, Hanson, Whitman, Marshfield, and Plymouth, have highly active Republican branches.
Dodge’s Donations
Massachusetts General Law requires lobbyists to disclose their political money contributions. According to the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s disclosure documents and Office of Campaign & Political Finance records, since 2005 Dodge has contributed under his name more than $2,000 in total to politicians from both parties.
Yet Dodge can also donate as part of the Pembroke REPTC, an entity that naturally does not come up in a search of the lobbyist disclosure database. According to the state’s Office of Campaign & Political Finance records, the Pembroke REPTC gave in recent years a total $8,700 to Massachusetts Republican politicians and Plymouth county party officials.
These include several politicians that were highly active in promoting the interests of the fossil fuel industry. In October last year the Pembroke REPTC contributed money to State Representative Geoff Diehl, who in 2014 led the titanic fight against indexing the state gas tax to inflation. Republicans managed to get the issue on the November ballot referendum, and following a ferocious campaign, were able to defeat the measure.
The Pembroke REPTC also contributed several times to Republican State Senator Vinny deMecado, who represents Plymouth County. deMacedo, who owns a Mobil gas station in the town of Plymouth, played an active role in campaigning against gas tax increases as well. In 2013 he joined fellow GOP members in a Boston protest, where he bemoaned the idea to put “another burden on to the taxpayers.”
Pembroke REPTC’s In-house Climate Denier
There is also some evidence that elements in Pembroke’s REPTC engage in promoting climate denial. It can be found, for instance, on the Pembroke REPTC’s Facebook page, which is public. In 2014 the page linked to a Facebook post by one of its members, Vince Cogliano, who unsuccessfully ran for the state’s House of Representatives. Cogliano relayed an argument he had with an identified woman, where he raised doubts about the science of climate change.
Earlier, another of Dodge’s colleagues at the Pembroke REPTC penned a climate change denialist op-ed in a local newspaper. The author, Patrick Chilcott, peddled the false position whereby a cold and snowy winter in his hometown is enough evidence to debunk global warming.
“The global warming, oh sorry climate change, movement is nothing more than a marketing and money making ploy for the radical lefties like our friends Al Gore and George Soros,” Chilcott wrote.
Potential Back-door Access to State Politicians
As a veteran lobbyist roaming the State House’s halls, Dodge is a familiar face amongst fossil fuel interests. His office on Boston’s Beacon Street is a convenient block away from the State House. But being active in local Republican Party affairs may provide Dodge with another crucial avenue to Massachusetts politicians.
The Pembroke REPTC’s Facebook page suggests that its members meet with Republican politicians on a regular basis. Either by hosting campaigning or incumbent Republicans or by its members attending nearby political events in Plymouth County, the Pembroke branch is a conduit to local powerbrokers. According to posts and photos on its Facebook page, these interactions include such figures as Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Senator deMacedo.
Such ties may be critical, given that Massachusetts is currently facing several crucial decisions on energy and climate change policies. According to Dodge’s most recent activity disclosure documents, he lobbied in opposition to: restricting fracking in the state, preventing the disposal of fracking wastewater within Massachusetts, divesting the state’s pension from fossil fuel companies, updating the state’s climate plan, reducing its carbon pollution, and adjusting clean fuel standards.
Indeed, Massachusetts can ill-afford tainted judgment from its democratically elected leaders.
Itai Vardi is a sociologist and independent journalist. He lives and works in Boston. He can be reached at: itaiv40@gmail.com and @itai_vardi.
