History[edit]

TASSC was created in 1993 by the APCO Worldwide public relations firm, and was funded by tobacco company Philip Morris (now Altria) to help fight against smoking regulations.[5] TASSC's links to the tobacco industry were minimized as part of APCO's strategy to "establish an image of a national grassroots coalition."[2]


The group has been described as an effort by tobacco companies who "wanted to cast grave doubts on government scientists' capacity to produce fair research", and who "quietly formed a coalition of industries that would challenge every aspect of government science, from its studies of global warming to auto safety."[notes 2][10][2]

former governor of New Mexico, served as chairman of TASSC from 1993 to 1998.[11][12]

Garrey Carruthers

former Republican congressman, was appointed chair of TASSC's advisory board in 1995.[13]

Mickey Edwards

former United States National Academy of Sciences President and prominent global warming denier, served on the scientific advisory board,[14] which had eight members.[2]

Frederick Seitz

– advisory board member[11]

Michael Fumento

– advisory board member[11]

Bruce Ames

- a Greenpeace publication on the "climate denial machine" (see coverage of TASSC on pp.12-13)

Dealing in Doubt

Archived 10 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine

Greenpeace fact sheet on the Advancement of Sound Science Coalition