Is the latest wave of greenwashing Big Oil & Gas putting academics on payroll? It sure seems that way. A new Checks and Balances Project blog today highlights how a Colorado professor, who has been quite active in promoting oil shale (the rock that burns), has his research facility funded by major oil companies. Last week an article in the Guardian explored the same trend with universities and Big Gas.
Dr. Jeremy Boak, Director of the Center for Oil Shale Technology and Research (COSTAR) has been working hard this past year, trying to downplay fears about oil shale’s impact on western water supplies. And, while Dr. Boak has plenty to say, he fails to mention that the companies experimenting with oil shale fund his program.
COSTAR is a resaerch center at Colorado School of Mines, which was started in 2008 with funding from three oil companies– ExxonMobil, Shell and Total Exploration and Production.
According to a Colorado School of Mines press release, COSTAR is a $900,000 per year research center. COSTAR’s website lists corporate money first among its funding sources. So, we think Dr. Boak has a pretty strong incentive to see oil shale speculation and experimentation continue.
Read more here.