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Propane Industry Group Is Illegally Lobbying and Paying Influencers, Government Accountability Office Warns
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A propane industry group is paying DIY influencers to promote propane and oppose building electrification using funds the GAO has repeatedly warned are not permissible for those purposes, The New York Times reports based on a public information request by the Energy and Policy Institute.
The Propane Education and Research Council uses the $40 million it raises annually as a federally-sanctioned trade association to pay influencers hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote its product as part of its planned $13 million 2023 anti-electrification campaign.
It also spent nearly $900,000 to support a campaign against electrification in New York state. The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly warned PERC is misusing its funds and may be violating statutory prohibitions on lobbying.
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