The Heartland Institute, the host of this conference, is funded by companies like Exxon and Wal-Mart.
"Heartland campaigns against what it refers to as "junk science"; supports "common-sense environmentalism", such as opposition to the the Kyoto Protocol aimed at countering global warming, and promoting genetically engineered crops and products; it supports the privatization of public services; it opposes tobacco control measures such as tobacco tax increases and denies the health effects of second-hand smoke, and it promotes the deregulation of health care insurance."
Source:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute
They are funded by numerous agencies whose goal is to increase corporate power at the expense of government power.