About a month ago, there was a mini-controversy surrounding Sen. Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum and his effort to go after the National Weather Service.
In a nutshell, Santorum’s legislation would prohibit federal meteorologists at the National Weather Service from competing with companies such as AccuWeather and The Weather Channel. A free government service, available to everyone online, would probably disappear, so a private service — which happens to be based out of Pennsylvania — could flourish.
Today, the AP has picked up on the story, noting the financial connections that may have motivated Santorum in the first place.
Two days before Sen. Rick Santorum introduced a bill that critics say would restrict the National Weather Service, his political action committee received a $2,000 donation from the chief executive of AccuWeather Inc., a leading provider of weather data. […]
“I think the timing of it is what makes it so suspect,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government, a Democratic-leaning watchdog group. “It’s like here’s the money and you’re going to do what I want.”
Santorum said the $2,000 contribution, received from AccuWeather CEO Joel Myers on April 12, came during a fundraiser in State College that happened to be two days before the bill was filed. He said he has worked on the issue for three years.
The donation was disclosed in the April filing to the FEC by Santorum’s PAC, America’s Foundation.
“I don’t think there’s any coincidence between the two,” Santorum said. “It’s just that I happened to have a fundraiser in the town he was in.”
Combined, Joel Myers and his brother, Barry Myers, AccuWeather’s executive vice president, have donated more than $11,000 to Santorum and the Republican Party since 2003, according to FEC filings compiled by PoliticalMoneyLine, a campaign finance tracking group.
Granted, the financial connection between Santorum and AccuWeather is not entirely new, but it’s nevertheless nice to see the national media pick up on it.