Thompson
Defends Fox River Polluters Against Responsible Cleanup, cont.
Study
Methods
Numerous state and federal documents, files, letters, databases, and
several Internet homepages were analyzed while preparing this report.
(See references in the back) Wisconsin paper industries were
identified using the 1997 Lockwood-Post's Directory. Landfill industries
were identified from DNR lists and interviews with staff.
Several federal, state, tribal and local officials were interviewed
at length and are the source of many of the uncited statements in the report.
Agency staff are not named, to protect them from reprisals. Most
agency staff were reluctant to speak openly. A few of the uncited
statements are based on the 12 years experience of the author of this research
report.
The campaign finance tables (7) underestimate
actual campaign contributions, because of limitations in reporting requirements
and alternative methods for funding campaigns. All figures included
in this document relating to political contributions should be considered
minimal estimates and the actual political influence may be much greater.
Specific donor data limitations include:
-
Small Donors --- Donations of less than $100 were not included,
because small donors aren't required to disclose their employers' names.
-
Unknowns ---Some donors' employers were unclassified or listed
as "unknown." They couldn't be included.
-
Spouses --- Paper company executives may have listed contributions
under the spouse's occupation, which would obscure the paper company connection.
-
Team Approaches --- Other types of businesses may team up
with paper industry leaders, and make large parallel contributions when
mutual interests benefit.
-
Parties --- Industry leaders can also funnel money through
the funds of political parties to help candidates.
-
Independent Money --- The paper industry can also spend large
amounts of money for "issue campaigns" which benefit specific candidates,
but these "independent expenditures" are not identified in state records
as campaign contributions.
For example, in the 1996 state legislative campaign, Wisconsin Manufacturer's
and Commerce (WMC), a statewide lobbying coalition on behalf of industry,
spent $413,000 attacking six Democratic candidates. WMC refused to
name the source of the money, but the money could easily have come from
the paper industry and its allies. The 1997 Wisconsin Business
Guide produced by WMC lists WMC's Executive Committee, which included
Kathleen Hempel, of Fort Howard Corporation (Fort James) and John MacIver,
of Michael, Best & Friedrich, a law firm which frequently represents
Fort Howard Corp.34 WMC's 1998 Board of
Directors includes three other paper industries: Hayes Manufacturing
Group, Inc. of Neenah; Georgia-Pacific Corp., and Kell Container Corp.35
Ordinarily, it is illegal for corporations to donate money directly
to Wisconsin candidates. All funds are supposed to come from
individuals, parties or PACs and the source of funds must be disclosed.
"Issue campaigns" by WMC are a loophole in those rules.
WMC's internet homepage states, "WMC sponsors a comprehensive political
program providing assistance to pro-business candidates for the Legislature
and statewide offices. Our political action committee and conduit
program help our members support pro-business candidates of both parties."35
Donors categorized as "Manufacturing & Distributing" donated $1,042,615
to the campaigns for Gov. Thompson and Lt. Gov. McCallum,1990 thru 1997.
WMC staff donated $750 in1994.7
DNR Report Sections:
Twelve
Years of Delay - A Fox River Clean-up Timeline
Deals,
Consultants, Paper Industry Allies, and Tourism
The
Health Risks of PCBs and Landfilling Contaminated Sludge
Legislative
Connections, Paper Company Economics, and Industry Control of the Process
The
Fed's Step In
The
Paper Money Trail - Political Campaign Contributions to the Governor
Conclusions
and Recommendations
References
Back to the Wisconsin
Stewardship Network Homepage