Pelican Institute

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The Pelican Institute for Public Policy is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization based in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] The Institute's mission is "to research and develop policy solutions to address the most significant barriers to opportunity in Louisiana" by educating "the public about the benefits of individual liberty and free enterprise, turning great ideas into powerful policy solutions that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives."[1]

The Institute was founded in 2008 by Keven Kane, who functioned as the organization's President until his passing in 2016.[2]

The Pelican Institute is a member of the State Policy Network as of 2024[3] and Rick Berman's Interstate Policy Alliance as of 2015.[4]

News and Controversies

Pelican Institute Files Suit Against Biden's Pause On LNG Exports

On May 16, 2024, the Pelican Institute and the Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit challenging Joe Biden’s “LNG Export Ban.” The ban, which was announced in January, temporarily halts approvals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to countries without free trade agreements. The Pelican Institute argues the ban breaches the 1938 Natural Gas Act, “which mandates that the DOE should approve LNG export applications unless they are found inconsistent with the public interest.”[5] They also argue that the ban’s imposition “violates the procedures mandated by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), exhibiting federal administrative overreach and a disregard for the constitutional separation of powers.”[6]

According to KLFY, James Baehr of the Pelican Institute claims, “This export ban is unconstitutional and indefensible.”[7] He asserts that “in addition to the harm it will do to the economy and to tens of thousands of working Americans across the country, it also disregards federal law, flouts the standard rule-making procedure, and threatens our constitutional structure.” The Pelican Institute does not stand alone, as 16 states have filed a joint lawsuit through their attorneys general.[8]

Pelican Institute and Liberty Justice Center Sue SEC Over Climate “Disclosure Rule”

The Liberty Justice Center and the Pelican Institute for Public Policy have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) challenging a new climate "disclosure rule" issued on March 6, 2024.[9] This rule mandates that public companies disclose information related to climate change in their registration statements and annual reports including "climate-related risks that have materially impacted, or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on, its business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition" as well as "certain disclosures related to severe weather events and other natural conditions".[10]

The plaintiffs, representing the National Legal and Policy Center and the Oil & Gas Workers Association, argue that the SEC lacks the authority to impose these requirements and that the rule violates the First Amendment by compelling companies to endorse specific viewpoints on climate change. They contend that the rule imposes undue burdens on companies and significantly changes their behavior beyond typical financial disclosures. Sarah Harbison, General Counsel at Pelican Institute’s Center for Justice claims, “These rules aim to place a scarlet letter on those who work in the oil and gas industries. Issuing this rule is not just beyond the SEC’s scope of authority, but also a slap in the face to hundreds of thousands of hardworking blue-collar Americans”.[11]

Pelican Institute Challenges Louisiana's Florist Licensing Requirements in Federal Lawsuit

Attorneys from the Pelican Institute are representing florist Angele Mixson in a federal lawsuit against the Louisiana Horticulture Commission, challenging the state's occupational licensing requirements for retail florists. Filed in February 2024, the lawsuit argues that these requirements are an “arbitrary and unnecessary barrier” that hinder business owners, according to The Advocate.[12]

The suit is part of a broader initiative by the Pelican Institute, which actively lobbies against what it calls burdensome occupational licenses. Sarah Harbison, general counsel at the Pelican Institute, emphasized the wider implications of the case, stating, “This lawsuit is not just about Angele’s right to arrange and sell flowers; it’s about the rights of all Louisianans to earn an honest living in their chosen profession without facing unnecessary and burdensome barriers."[13]

Legal Challenge Filed Against Biden's Vaccine Mandate

On November 4, 2021, the Liberty Justice Center and the Pelican Institute for Public Policy filed a lawsuit in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to block President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers in private companies with 100 or more employees. The parties represented are Brandon Trosclair, a grocer operating in Louisiana and Mississippi, and Texas-based employees of CaptiveAire. Both groups argue the mandate exacerbates hiring issues and infringes on personal freedoms.[14]

The lawsuit claims that OSHA's mandate exceeds its authority, arguing COVID-19 is a “society-wide danger,” not a workplace-specific hazard, and the emergency standard is not tailored to individual workplace conditions. The case challenges whether the mandate is justified under OSHA's remit to protect against "new hazards" without overreaching its regulatory scope.[15]

On November 12, 2021, in response to this case, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Biden Administration to halt all enforcement of the mandate while legal challenges move through the federal court system. The ruling was that “the Mandate threatens to substantially burden the liberty interests of reluctant individual recipients put to a choice between their job(s) and their jab(s).”[16]

Produced Studies Attacking EPA's "Clean Power Plan" Alongside the Beacon Hill Institute and other SPN Members

In early 2015, the Beacon Hill Institute produced state-based reports with seven SPN Members, including the Pelican Institute.[17][18] Investigations into the BHI/SPN reports noted these groups' financial ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council, Koch Brothers, and Rick Berman.[17][18] Media Matters said "The Beacon Hill Institute studies, which will appear in 16 states this year, dramatically inflate the Clean Power Plan's projected costs and admittedly don't even analyze the EPA's actual proposal-- so newspapers owe it to their readers to avoid promoting these studies or publishing op-eds that do."[18]

Ties to the State Policy Network

The Pelican Institute is an affiliate member of the State Policy Network. SPN contributed $444,000 to the Institute from 2018 to 2022.

Many Pelican Institute staff members previously worked for SPN and its Member organizations, including Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, America's Future Foundation, Heritage Foundation, Institute for Free Speech, and Students for Liberty.[1]

The CEO of Pelican Institute since 2017, Daniel J. Erspamer, previously worked as Vice President for Strategic Partnerships for State Policy Network as well as for the national office of Americans for Prosperity, a SPN partner organization.[19][20]

SPN is a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 48 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. As of June 2024, SPN's membership totals 167. Today's SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party. SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told the Wall Street Journal in 2017 that the revenue of the combined groups was some $80 million, but a 2022 analysis of SPN's main members IRS filings by the Center for Media and Democracy shows that the combined revenue is over $152 million.[21] Although SPN's member organizations claim to be nonpartisan and independent, the Center for Media and Democracy's in-depth investigation, "EXPOSED: The State Policy Network -- The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government," reveals that SPN and its member think tanks are major drivers of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders.[22]

In response to CMD's report, SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told national and statehouse reporters that SPN affiliates are "fiercely independent." Later the same week, however, The New Yorker's Jane Mayer caught Sharp in a contradiction. In her article, "Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?," the Pulitzer-nominated reporter revealed that, in a recent meeting behind closed doors with the heads of SPN affiliates around the country, Sharp "compared the organization’s model to that of the giant global chain IKEA." She reportedly said that SPN "would provide 'the raw materials,' along with the 'services' needed to assemble the products. Rather than acting like passive customers who buy finished products, she wanted each state group to show the enterprise and creativity needed to assemble the parts in their home states. 'Pick what you need,' she said, 'and customize it for what works best for you.'" Not only that, but Sharp "also acknowledged privately to the members that the organization's often anonymous donors frequently shape the agenda. 'The grants are driven by donor intent,' she told the gathered think-tank heads. She added that, often, 'the donors have a very specific idea of what they want to happen.'"[23]

A set of coordinated fundraising proposals obtained and released by The Guardian in early December 2013 confirm many of these SPN members' intent to change state laws and policies, referring to "advancing model legislation" and "candidate briefings." These activities "arguably cross the line into lobbying," The Guardian notes.[24]

Ties to ALEC

The Pelican Institute is a state think tank member of SPN, which is a private sector member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

ALEC members have presented at the Institute's annual "Solutions Summit" since 2019.[25][26][27][28][29]

ALEC Executive Vice President of Policy and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams joined the Pelican Institute’s John Kay and State Representatives Mark Wright, Thomas Pressly and Richard Nelson in a live broadcast in November, 2020 to discuss the impact of tax reform on the Louisianna Economy.[30]

Please see SPN Ties to ALEC for more.

About ALEC
ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.

Ties to the Koch Brothers

The Charles G. Koch Institute and Charles Koch Foundation donated a total of $568,846 to the Pelican Institute from 2018 to 2021. Many of the Institute's staff members, including its CEO Daniel Erspamer, previously worked in organizations founded by the Koch Brothers and/or funded by the Koch Family Foundations, including Americans for Properity, Americans for Tax Reform, and Students for Liberty.[1]

Koch Wiki

Charles Koch is the right-wing billionaire owner of Koch Industries. As one of the richest people in the world, he is a key funder of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on Charles Koch and his late brother David include: Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Stand Together, Koch Family Foundations, Koch Universities, and I360.

Funding

The Pelican Institute is not required to disclose its funders but major foundation supporters can be found through their IRS filings. Here are some known contributors:

Core Financials

2022[31]

  • Total Revenue: $2,336,205
  • Total Expenses: $2,300,589
  • Net Assets: $1,032,162

2021[32]

  • Total Revenue: $2,341,742
  • Total Expenses: $1,745,697
  • Net Assets: $916,872

2020[33]

  • Total Revenue: $1,524,858
  • Total Expenses: $1,295,034
  • Net Assets: $320,827

2019[34]

  • Total Revenue: $1,513,624
  • Total Expenses: $1,721,559
  • Net Assets: $91,003

2018[35]

  • Total Revenue: $936,371
  • Total Expenses: $1,012,160
  • Net Assets: $298,938

2017[36]

  • Total Revenue: $822,459
  • Total Expenses: $492,322
  • Net Assets: $374,727

2016[37]

  • Total Revenue: $344,801
  • Total Expenses: $334,416
  • Net Assets: $44,590

2015[38]

  • Total Revenue: $278,279
  • Total Expenses: $281,876
  • Net Assets: $34,205

2014[39]

  • Total Revenue: $344,736
  • Total Expenses: $338,681
  • Net Assets: $37,802

2013[40]

  • Total Revenue: $241,499
  • Total Expenses: $243,429
  • Net Assets: $31,747

2012[41]

  • Total Revenue: $292,911
  • Total Expenses: $267,860
  • Net Assets: $33,677

2011[42]

  • Total Revenue: $428,000
  • Total Expenses: $509,574
  • Net Assets: $8,626

Personnel

Staff

As of June 2024:[1]

  • Daniel J. Erspamer, Chief Executive Officer
  • Vance Finn, Ph.D., Chief Economist
  • Sydney Petite, Chief Marketing Officer
  • Jamie Tairov, Director of Fiscal and Opportunity Policy
  • Laurie White Adams, Director of Governmental Affairs and Advocacy
  • Rachel Jeandron Caluda, Director of Development
  • Erin Bendily, Ph.D., Vice President for Policy and Strategy
  • Bartlett D. Cleland, Tech Fellow
  • Josh Crawford, Senior Fellow
  • Dr. Gavin Roberts, Senior Fellow, Energy
  • Sarah Harbison, General Counsel
  • James Baehr, Special Counsel
  • Meghan Amador, Marketing Coordinator
  • Leslie Folkes, Digital Marketing Coordinator
  • Hope Schumaker, Public Associate

Former Staff

  • Eric Peterson, Director of Policy, Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation
  • Margaret Mire, Senior Fellow
  • Chris Jacobs, Senior Fellow
  • Marcus Maldonado, Development Associate
  • Ethan Melancon, Education Policy Director
  • Morgan Wampold, Director of Communications
  • John Kay, Vice President of Advocacy
  • Aly Rau, Chief of Staff
  • Renee Amar, Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs
  • Kevin Kane, President (deceased)[2]
  • Knud Berthelsen, Marketing Strategist
  • Lesley Kane, Secretary
  • Matt Cole, Policy Analyst
  • Quin Hillyer, Director

Board of Directors

As of June 2024[1]

  • Daniel J. Erspamer, Chief Executive Officer
  • Stephen M. Gele, Chairman
  • Jeb Bruneau
  • Abhay Patel
  • Nathalie Simon
  • Cameron Smith

Contact Information

Pelican Institute for Public Policy
400 Poydras St., Suite 900
New Orleans, LA 70130

Phone: (504) 500-0506
Email: info@pelicaninstitute.org
Website: http://www.pelicaninstitute.org
X: @PelicanInst
Facebook: @pelican.institute
Youtube: @pelicaninstituteforpublicp7164

Articles and Resources

IRS Form 990 Filings

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Related SourceWatch

Related PRWatch Articles

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Pelican Institute for Public Policy, Our Story, organizational website, accessed June 12, 2024.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rebecca Primis, "State Policy Network Mourns Pelican Institute for Public Policy CEO Kevin Kane", SPN Blog, October 28, 2016, accessed October 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ State Policy Network, Directory: Lousiana, organizational website, accessed June 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ Center for Media and Democracy, "Interstate Policy Alliance Members", Exposed By CMD, taken from document dated November 10, 2015, accessed October 13, 2020.
  5. ↑ Pelican Institute, “Oil & Gas Workers Association v. Biden,“ organizational wesbite, accessed June 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ Pelican Institute, “Oil & Gas Workers Association v. Biden,“ organization wesbite, accessed June 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ Scott Yoshonis, “Pelican Institute files suit to challenge Biden administration LNG ban,” KLFY, May 16, 2024.
  8. ↑ Scott Yoshonis, “Pelican Institute files suit to challenge Biden administration LNG ban,” KLFY, May 16, 2024.
  9. ↑ Liberty Justice Center, “NATIONAL LEGAL AND POLICY CENTER V. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION," organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  10. ↑ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, "The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors," agency document, accessed June 13, 2024.
  11. ↑ Liberty Justice Center, “[https://libertyjusticecenter.org/cases/national-legal-and-policy-center-v-securities-and-exchange-commission/ NATIONAL LEGAL AND POLICY CENTER V. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION],” organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  12. ↑ Matt Bruce, "She didn't pass a 50-question exam to become a florist. Should Louisiana require the test?," The Advocate, February 19, 2024.
  13. ↑ Matt Bruce, "She didn't pass a 50-question exam to become a florist. Should Louisiana require the test?," The Advocate, February 19, 2024.
  14. ↑ Liberty Justice Center, “The Liberty Justice Center and the Pelican Institute for Public Policy filed suit in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the Biden Administration from imposing an illegal COVID-19 vaccine mandate on nearly 100 million Americans,” organizational website, accessed June 14, 2024.
  15. ↑ Liberty Justice Center, “The Liberty Justice Center and the Pelican Institute for Public Policy filed suit in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the Biden Administration from imposing an illegal COVID-19 vaccine mandate on nearly 100 million Americans,” organizational website, accessed June 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ Pelican Institute, “Release: Appeals Court Orders Federal Government To Halt Implementation of OSHA Vaccine Mandate In Response To Petition By Brandon Trosclair,” organizational website, November 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Brendan Fischer, "How SPN "Think Tanks" Will Spin ALEC's 2016 Agenda", PRWatch, September 30, 2015, accessed October 13, 2020.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Andrew Seifter and Denise Robbins, "A Web Of Climate Deception: The Beacon Hill Institute, Richard Berman, And The State Policy Network", Media Matters, April 13, 2015, accessed October 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ State Policy Network, “Directory,” organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  20. ↑ Pelican Institute, “Our Team,” organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  21. ↑ David Armiak, State Policy Network and Affiliates Raises $152 Million Annually to Push Right-Wing Policies, ExposedbyCMD, September 30, 2022.
  22. ↑ Rebekah Wilce, Center for Media and Democracy, EXPOSED: The State Policy Network -- The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government, organizational report, November 13, 2013.
  23. ↑ Jane Mayer, Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?, The New Yorker, November 15, 2013.
  24. ↑ Ed Pilkington and Suzanne Goldenberg, State conservative groups plan US-wide assault on education, health and tax, The Guardian, December 5, 2013.
  25. ↑ Pelican Institute, Solutions Summit, organizational website, accessed October 13, 2020.
  26. ↑ Pelican Institute, Local, National Experts to Speak at Solutions Summit 2.0, organizational website, accessed October 13, 2020.
  27. ↑ Pelican Institute, Agenda Revealed for Solutions Summit 2022: The Comeback, organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  28. ↑ Pelican Institute, Agenda for Solutions Summit 2023!, organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  29. ↑ Pelican Institute, Solutions Summit 2024, organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  30. ↑ ALEC, "Jonathan Williams Talks Louisiana Tax Reform with Pelican Institute, State Lawmakers", organizational website, accessed June 13, 2024.
  31. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2022 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, 2022.
  32. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2021 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, 2021.
  33. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2020 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, 2020.
  34. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2019 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, 2019.
  35. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2018 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, November 15, 2019.
  36. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2017 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, November 8, 2018.
  37. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2016 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, November 15, 2017.
  38. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2015 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, August 10, 2016.
  39. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2014 IRS 990 Form, organizational tax filing, June 6, 2015.
  40. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2013 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, June 12, 2014.
  41. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2012 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, August 12, 2013.
  42. ↑ Pelican Institute, 2011 IRS Form 990, organizational tax filing, July 3, 2012.
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