American Tradition Partnership (ATP), formerly known as Western Tradition Partnership, is a conservative 501(c)4 advocacy group in the United States targeting what it describes as "environmental extremism." ATP has also initiated litigation targeting campaign finance regulations. It maintains a PO Box in Washington, D.C., and has no physical office.
The organization's mission statement is a dedication "to fighting environmental extremism and promoting responsible development and management of land, water, and natural resources in the Rocky Mountain West and across the United States." ATP promotes what it describes as voluntary, free-market solutions to environmental problems as the means to protect both the economy and the environment. It works to achieve its organizational goals through lobbying, public education, and grassroots mobilization.
The group was first registered as Western Tradition Partnership as a 501(c)(4) in 2008. In 2010, the group spun off a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Western Tradition Institute, which also did business as the American Tradition Institute. In 2013, the American Tradition Institute changed its name to the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, to reflect its focus on the area of strategic litigation.
In 2012 the group was scrutinized in a PBS Frontline documentary, Big Sky, Big Money, which showed that the group was not registered with Montana as a political committee, and illuminated several charges against its activities. After that, the group maintained low visibility until the 2014 election cycle in the state.
Issues
Some prominent issues in which ATP has become involved include:
National monuments
In 2010, WTP filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents related to President Barack Obama's potential use of the Antiquities Act to establish as many as fourteen new national monuments, one of which may include the Vermillion Basin in Colorado, which has significant natural gas and other mineral resources. Colorado representatives Republican Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman, have concurrently introduced legislation to prevent any additional national monuments from being established in their state.
Emissions trading
ATP has opposed legislation creating an emissions trading system in the United States, referring to such proposals as a "cap and tax." An online petition sponsored by ATP supported the "Climategate" misconduct theory, repeated the claim that the Oregon Petition was signed by 31,000 scientists, rejected global warming evidence, and expressed fears that such a system would lead to higher energy prices, higher government spending, lost jobs, and other economic costs.
Utility alternative energy regulation
ATP opposed Colorado House Bill 1001 which would require public utilities to use alternative energy sources. The group says the proposed law would create job losses and higher utility bills. "The renewable energy standard forces utility companies to buy more expensive utilities, so then they have to cut back on hiring and lay people off," according to ATP executive director Ferguson. American Tradition said the standards were being implemented for the benefit of "connected, higher-priced ‘green’ speculators." ATP initially planned to overturn the law via ballot initiative but soon turned away from that effort. The group says it will lobby to have the law changed in 2011.
Litigation
Montana Commissioner of Political Practices
In 2010, the Montana Commission of Political Practices ruled that ATP had broken state campaign laws by failing to register as a political committee or properly report its donors and spending. The commission investigation's revealed that the group had solicited unlimited contributions to support pro-mining, pro-logging and pro-development candidates in Montana and avoided disclosing the contributions.
The opinion issued by Commissioner Dennis Unsworth in October 2010 followed the investigation of a 2008 complaint by a Great Falls attorney, which accused ATP of not properly disclosing financial information related to its fliers that criticized a state senator. The opinion examined connections between ATP, a small group of political action committees, candidates for public office, and discrepancies in the campaign finance disclosures.