Industry to Support Formerly Pew-Backed Climate Group

Corporate sponsors, including major energy firms, will step in to fund a nonprofit environmental-research organization as it loses its primary philanthropic backer, Bloomberg reports.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is winding down its $3.5-million annual support for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, which will change its name to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Shell, Duke Energy, Hewlett-Packard, and General Electric are among the firms that will now cover most of the center’s budget.

The Arlington, Va.-based group researches market-based solutions to global warming. Its founder, Eileen Claussen, said the industry sponsors have committed to maintaining the center’s independence.

“Every one of these companies does some things that we don’t like,” Ms. Claussen said. “They’ve got trade associations to do their bidding and they’ve got lobbyists. They view their association with us as different because we are in fact independent.”