ClearPath Action (also called ClearPath Action Fund) is a Republican-aligned super PAC that supports Republican Party candidates who back greater support for global warming policies and environmentalism. It was founded by Jay Faison, an entrepreneur and Republican climate change activist. ClearPath’s goals include electing Republicans to office who support government support for solar and wind energy and to insert planks fighting against climate change into the platform of the Republican Party.

ClearPath Foundation is the 501(c)(3) wing of ClearPath Action. ClearPath Action Fund for Conservative Clean Energy is the group’s 501(c)(4) advocacy arm.

Leadership

Founder: Jay Faison

For more information, see Jay Faison

ClearPath Action is led by North Carolina businessman Jay Faison. In 2015, he sold the majority of his stake in audio-visual equipment manufacturer Snap AV to found the environmentalist group ClearPath Foundation. ClearPath Action is the organization’s super PAC, and as such is allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money in independent expenditures to help candidates in elections. ¹

Faison is a major Republican Party donor, and he has said that his organization is not interested in seeking support among Democrats. “I support a free enterprise system unshackled from bad regulation and big labor unions,” he wrote in Politico shortly after launching ClearPath, “but I also believe that my party needs a fresh approach” toward reversing climate change. ²

Executive Director: Rich Powell

Rich Powell is executive director of ClearPath Action and its 501(c)(3) affiliate, the ClearPath Foundation. Powell is a former employee of McKinsey & Company (2010-2014), where he worked in Energy and Sustainability Practices. Since 2019, he has been a member of the 2019 Advisory Committee for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. ³

Issues

ClearPath Action supports legislation that promotes renewable energy production, subsidizes anti-carbon dioxide technology research, and mitigates the use of oil, coal, and natural gas. The group supports public development of carbon capture technology, an expensive technology designed to reduce the output of carbon dioxide from manufacturing processes. It also supports legislation on electricity storage such as improved lithium batteries to store the electricity produced by renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. ⁴

It is also a strong support of nuclear power and research into the commercial applications of nuclear technology. On that issue, it splits with radical environmentalists such as Greenpeace who oppose nuclear technology and power. It also splits with radical environmentalist groups such on the issue of hydroelectric power. ClearPath supports hydroelectric dams while most radical environmentalist groups such as the Sierra Club oppose them. ⁵

Funding

Donors to ClearPath Action

In 2016, ClearPath Action raised $4.4 million and spent $4.3 million with an ending cash on hand of $29,935. The fund spent $3 million in independent expenditures, all on behalf of Republican candidates. ⁶

Jay Faison was the single largest donor to the super PAC in 2016, gifting it $3.7 million. Other donors included Julian Robertson, who donated $500,000; Yancey Brothers Co., which donated $100,000; and William Oberndorf and Daniel Loeb, who each donated $50,000. ⁷

In 2018, the super PAC raised $1.9 million and spent $1.9 million. It had an ending cash on hand of $24,892. ⁸ In 2018, Jay Faison was its single biggest donor, gifting the super PAC just under $2.1 million. The only other donor to the PAC was John Arnold, a liberal mega-donor and funder of the left-wing Arnold Foundation, who donated $50,000 to the PAC. ⁹

ClearPath Action reported raising no funds in 2019 for the 2020 election cycle. ¹⁰ However, the group reported $9,019 in cash on hand as of January 1, 2019. ¹¹

Spending in 2016 Presidential Election

In the 2016 general election, ClearPath Action raised $4.4 million and spent $3.1 million on independent expenditures, exclusively in support of Republican Party candidates for Congress. ¹² The super PAC’s biggest expense in 2016 was $2.3 million for web ads in support of various Republican candidates. It made donations to Republican-aligned political committees such as the Senate Leadership Fund, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and the Ending Spending Action Fund. ¹³

In the U.S. Senate, the super PAC backed Republicans: ¹⁴

• Kelly Ayotte (NH): $185,000
• Rob Portman (OH): $570,000
• Richard Burr (NC): $623,000

ClearPath Action supported House Republicans: ¹⁵

• Mike Coffman (CO): $90,000
• Ryan Costello (PA): $105,000
• Carlos Curbelo (FL): $513,000
• Jeff Denham (CA): $104,000
• Bob Dold (IL): $142,000
• John Katko (NY): $111,000
• Mia Love (UT): $96,000
• Patrick Meehan (PA): $117,000
• Erik Paulsen (MN): $92000
• Tom Reed (NY): $172,000
• Elise Stefanik (NY): $167,000
• Fred Upton (MI): $61,000

Spending in 2018 Midterm Election

In the 2018 midterm election, ClearPath Action raised $2.1 million and spent $1.9 million on independent expenditures, exclusively in support of Republican Party candidates for Congress. ¹⁶ The super PAC’s biggest expense was media buys. The fund switched strategies and began advertising on other mediums. It only spent $50,000 on web advertisements and $1.4 million on “unspecified media buys.” ¹⁷

In the U.S. Senate, the super PAC backed Republicans: ¹⁸

• Dean Heller (NV): $499,000
• Martha McSally (AZ): $200,000

In the U.S. House of Representatives, ClearPath Action backed Republicans: ¹⁹

• Carlos Curbelo (FL): $498,000
• Steve Knight (CA): $75,000
• Brian Mast (FL): $125,000
• Erik Paulsen (MN): $50,000
• Tom Reed (NY): $100,000
• Scott W. Taylor (VA): $125,000
• Fred Upton (MI): $209,000

Spending in 2020 Presidential Election

As of January 2020, ClearPath Action has spent $2,693 on consulting fees for the 2020 presidential election cycle. ²⁰

Lobbying

ClearPath Action has a single lobbyist registered with Congress: Les Spivey, a lobbyist for the Alpine Group, registered with ClearPath in 2016. As of January 2020, ClearPath has reported no lobbying expenditures. ²¹

1. Lauer, Daniel, and Hayden Ludwig. “The Myth Of The Conservative Carbon Tax: A Who’s Who Of The Ecoright.”  October 12, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2020. Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-myth-of-the-conservative-carbon-tax-part-4/.
2. Lauer, Daniel, and Hayden Ludwig. “The Myth Of The Conservative Carbon Tax: A Who’s Who Of The Ecoright.”  October 12, 2018. Accessed January 9, 2020. Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-myth-of-the-conservative-carbon-tax-part-4/.
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    Sums rounded up where appropriate.

15. “ClearPath Action: Independent Expenditures.” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?committee_id=C00608943&two_year_transaction_period=2016&cycle=2016&data_type=processed&is_notice=true

    Sums rounded up where appropriate.

16. “ClearPath Action.” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00608943/?cycle=2018#total-raised
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18. “ClearPath Action: Independent Expenditures.” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?committee_id=C00608943&two_year_transaction_period=2018&cycle=2018&data_type=processed&is_notice=true

    Sums rounded up where appropriate.

19. “ClearPath Action: Independent Expenditures.” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?committee_id=C00608943&two_year_transaction_period=2018&cycle=2018&data_type=processed&is_notice=true

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20. “ClearPath Action: Raising.” Center for Responsive Politics. Accessed January 9, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00608943/?tab=raising&cycle=2020
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