Sierra Club rejects $30 million donation from Chesapeake

摘要

The Sierra Club, the nation's largest environmental group, is rethinking early support of natural-gas development after activists and scientists linked the drilling to tainted water and increased air emissions, Executive Director IVIichael Brune said in an interview. The group turned down $30 million from Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake after he took over in 2010, he said.Brune disclosed last month that the San Francisco-based Sierra Club got $26 million from subsidiaries or individuals associated with Chesapeake Energy, the second-largest U.S. natural-gas producer. Brune said that in 2010, after he became executive director, he halted the corporate gifts, meaning the group walked away from an additional $30 million from Chesapeake. The group hasn't returned the donations, used to "kickstart" its Beyond Coal campaign, he said.