"Corruption, corporate greed, and "Dark Money" are the driving forces behind N.C. Lawmakers’ recent legislation. Bill Cook says he wants to give the Outer banks the freedom to choose what they want. Legislation against the will of the people shows that he entirely doesn’t care. " Pete Roberts on 4/24/17 Last week Bill Cook put his version of the plastic bag ban repeal on a fast track.(1) Three days earlier the National Federation of Independent Business endorsed him. The influence of "dark money" on this process is a concern for any citizen seeking fair representation from legislators. On April 20th Bill Cook introduced an amendment to an environmental omnibus bill, mirroring the language of Beverly Boswell's bill calling for repeal of the local ban on plastic bags. The bill had been met with fierce opposition before being removed from scheduled hearings. "A number of owners of local stores have voiced their opposition to repeal, while The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce issued a statement against reversing the ban on behalf of its 1,100 members." (2) Cook has raised eyebrows at the Southern Environmental Law Center. The group claims that the last minute addition of this amendment has removed any opportunity for public discussion regarding the bill’s opposition. The 'SELC’s Brooks Pearson said local officials had planned to travel to Raleigh to challenge the repeal before the hearings were cancelled. She said the ban has strong support on the Outer Banks."(1) Speaking in support of the repeal, Cook used language similar to talking points used by both the N.C. Retail Merchants Association and the powerful plastic bag lobby known as the American Progressive Bag Alliance. “It puts an unnecessary burden on our job creators and it has become very costly to business.”(1) Says Cook. The APBA agrees, from their website: “The American Progressive Bag Alliance proactively promotes product lines and leads numerous public policy initiatives that serve as the frontline defense against plastic bag bans and taxes nationwide,” with initiatives including “correcting misinformation regarding litter and waste, educating the public about the environmental advantage to using plastic bags, and combating ill-advised legislation that could limit consumer choices.” Representatives from the NCRMA use the same talking points: "Elizabeth Robinson, a representative of North Carolina Retail Merchants Association told senators the repeal was a top priority for the organization’s members. “As we talk about removing red tape and impediments to business, this continues to rise to the top of our members’ radar as something they would like to see removed,” she said. “We have heard from members in the area, small and large, that do not want to comply with this ban.”(1) The NCRMA advertises as a champion of small business in N.C. They describe themselves as "the driving force behind the passage of positive legislation, and equally important, work(s) hard to stop legislation that could negatively impact retail business operations through taxes, regulations or fees.” (3) However, by silencing the 1,100 members represented in local Chambers of Commerce who favor the ban, the lobby which says it represents local small business owners has done just the opposite. Why would the NCRMA deny the voices of the local business community while lobbying for unpopular legislation on behalf of those same businesses? Let’s examine Bill Cook's endorsement from the NFIB, and who that endorsement actually comes from. A brief look into the shadows of “dark money” provides these answers. What is “Dark Money”, and how does it affect this and other legislation in the N.C.G.A.? “In the politics of the United States, dark money is a term that describes funds given to nonprofit organizations…that can receive unlimited donations from corporations…and spend funds to influence elections, but are not required to disclose their donors.”(3. b) According to the Center for Media and Democracy in this 2012 story,(4) studies show " how consistently the NFIB lobbies on issues that favor large corporate interests rather than small-business interests; its thoroughly partisan agenda; and the millions it receives in secret contributions from groups associated with Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers." As an example, the NFIB were heavily invested in negative attack ads and “branding” the ACA as a jobs killer. They receive funding from big corporations to change public opinion through media. This is described by CFMD director, Lisa Graves: “They’re actually throwing the voice of big businesses,” said Graves. “That has an impact on media coverage. The media will highlight the perspective of the NFIB as if it were representative of small business.”(4) As in the case of the bag ban repeal, the efforts of the NFIB in Cook’s corner illustrate how this partisan lobby has replaced the will of the people. Despite its denials of partisan bias, the study reveals further, that "Looking at all donations since 1989, the NFIB is ranked third highest on Opensecrets.org’s list of political “heavy hitters,” based on the percentage of its contributions going to Republican candidates. NFIB’s 93 percent is higher than Koch Industries with 90 percent; Exxon Mobil with 86 percent; and the National Rifle Association with 82 percent." In other words, the NFIB spends more money electing corporate shills than Koch, ExxonMobil, or the NRA. More troubling perhaps is where the NFIB gets its funding. Although NFIB doesn’t disclose where it gets its money, some of its funders have to list their donations in public documents. A website set up by the Center for Media and Democracy(5) and other research shows that a big chunk of its budget came from the Donors Trust, a secretive conservative group that also funnels money to groups like the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity Foundation, and from Karl Rove-founded Crossroads GPS. In this 2013 Mother Jones story (6) Donors Trust was described as "The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement". "Donors Trust is not the source of the money it hands out. Some 200 right-of-center funders ...charities bankrolled by Charles and David Koch, among other conservative benefactors, have given to Donors Trust. And other recipients of Donors Trust money include the Heritage Foundation…and the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, chaired by none other than David Koch."(6) Bill Cook simply isn’t listening to the people on the coast. His agenda is driven by outside forces acting upon state government through dark money beneficiaries like the NFIB and NCRMA. What else could explain an elected representative’s reasoning for dismissing the choice of local business organizations, conservation groups, and lawmakers to keep this ban in place? Sen. Bill Cook's endorsement (7) just three days before his decision to fast track the bag ban repeal is not illegal, nor does it imply anything underhanded on the surface. But it does shine a light on which businesses he represents. He acts on behalf of those hoping to peddle more non-biodegradable plastic bags on the Outer Banks. The identity of those businesses both locally and globally remains largely clouded, while the thousands represented by the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce have been spoken for. He and his supporters use anti big government talking points to paint these corporate sponsors as victims and discredit the actions of local lawmakers as misinformed. All of which is just a smokescreen. It is standard operating procedure for Cook’s handlers from the fossil fuels lobby. Bill Cook says he wants to give the Outer banks the freedom to choose what they want. His actions against the will of the people show that he doesn’t care about the Outer Banks at all. This is just one bill, but it highlights the new normal of dark money in politics.. In this era, corporations hold this trump card over poorly funded county Boards of Commissioners. In a recent show of distrust of state leadership, Dare County Board of Commissioners, have rehired the McGuire Woods Consulting Firm to look after county interests in Raleigh. "Everybody was on board with it," Board Chair Bob Woodard said about the April 7 vote to engage the lobbying firm. "There are a number of legislative issues, both pro and con. Some of the bills, we feel, are not in the best interests of Dare County.”(8) Sadly, with Cook advancing the agenda of big business these efforts made by every citizen, business owner, and legislator on the Outer Banks may go unheard. Cook has seen to the interests of his donors by silencing the voice of his constituents. As of Monday night, senate bill 434 passed the N.C. Senate in a vote split down party lines. If it passes the House and Gov. Roy Cooper signs it into law, the repeal could go into effect by July 1st. In his comments, Sen. Cook once again offered tone-deaf reasoning for his decision to push the repeal: “What I’m trying to do here is provide some freedom to the Outer Banks so that they can do whatever they want to do,” Cook said. (9) Maybe someone should remind Sen. Cook that Outer Bankers have exercised their freedom to reject plastic bags. The freedom he is defending is that of out of state corporate giants to write their own rules. source (1) http://www.coastalreview.org/2017/04/bag-ban-repeal-among-bills-fast-track/ (2)https://outerbanksvoice.com/2017/04/03/cook-tacks-bag-ban-repeal-onto-environmental-regs-reform-bill/ (2.b) http://www.plasticsindustry.org/apba/about (3)http://www.ncrma.org/about-us/ncrma-staff/ (3.b) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_money (4)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/nfib-exposed_n_1917262.html (5)http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch (6)http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devos (7)http://cookinthesenate.com/category/1/campaign-news-and-updates.html (8)http://www.obsentinel.com/news/commissioners-rehire-their-raleigh-watchdog/article_b5f2aaf2-2439-11e7-8a3b-474c938cc484.html (9) https://outerbanksvoice.com/2017/04/24/repeal-of-obx-plastic-bag-ban-advances-in-the-state-senate/