Cleantech companies are financing a new nonprofit run by green energy lobbyists that operates under a portion of the tax code reserved for “social welfare” organizations but appears geared toward driving government contracts to its donors.
Details on the new group are sparse, in part because those lobbyists have not maintained copies of documentation they are legally required to provide for public inspection upon request.
The nonprofit is led by Patrick Von Bargen, a former chief of staff to Energy Policy Act architect Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D., N.M.). Von Bargen is the cofounder of 38 North Solutions, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that works on environmental and energy policy.
More...
