Is NRDC A Felon?
Senator Inhoffe, Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, stated his concern about the Natural Resources Defense Council in a recent speech on the Senate floor. More specifically, Sen. Inhoffe described a full-page ad NRDC and Moveon.org placed in the New York Times as false advertising and perhaps a felony under Oklahoma state law. The Times is circulated in Oklahoma, Sen. Inhoffe's home state.

The NRDC ad criticized the Bush Administration for "trying to weaken controls on mercury [air] pollution." Sen. Inhoffe pointed out in his speech that the Bush EPA had proposed the first controls ever on mercury emissions from electric power plants. Consequently, there were no previous controls to weaken, and this claim is demonstrably and obviously false. The ad also solicited contributions to NRDC. Sen. Inhoffe inquired whether the ad violated the Oklahoma state law that made false advertising by a charitable organization (NRDC) a felony. In his own words:

...NRDC, which describes itself as a charitable organization on its website, [is] soliciting contributions by making knowingly false statements to cheat people out of contributions. Mr./Madam President [of the Senate], in Oklahoma that could make you a felon.

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I am announcing that I am sending letters today to the two largest jurisdictions in Oklahoma and requesting those district attorneys to investigate the legality of this advertisement in Oklahoma. I am also sending a letter to the Better Business Bureau requesting the organization to more carefully consider this false advertisement in their rating of NRDC in awarding their Wise Giving Alliance seal and request that it formally request NRDC to substantiate its baseless claim.