American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity

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American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity is a coal industry front group formed by merging Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) and the Center for Energy and Economic Development (CEED).

A press release from ACCCE on April 17, 2008 announced "More than 40 leading U.S. companies from the electricity generation, transportation, coal production, energy technology, and equipment manufacturing industries have aligned to create the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE). ... ACCCE believes that the use of coal, America’s most abundant energy resource, is essential to providing affordable, reliable electricity for millions of American consumers and a growing domestic economy. ACCCE also supports enhanced public and private sector efforts to develop and deploy new, advanced clean coal technologies that protect and improve the environment. The formation of ACCCE results from a consolidation of the Center for Energy and Economic Development (CEED) and Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC).

The front group previously known as ABEC

Formed in 2000 to develop astroturf support for coal-based electricity, Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) promotes the interests of mining companies, coal transporters, and electricity producers. A domain name search reveals that ABEC's website is registered to the coal industry trade organization Center for Energy and Economic Development. (ABEC originally used the www.balancedenergy.org domain but later switched to a website titled America's Power).

From ABEC's website: "Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) is a national, non-profit organization designed to promote a dialogue with community leaders across the U.S. on issues involving America's growing demand for electricity. ABEC will advocate in support of policies that strike the proper balance between protecting the environment and providing for continued economic growth and prosperity for America's working families.

"Because they recognize the essential role that electricity from coal plays in protecting the environment while providing over half of the electricity used each day in the U.S., America's coal-based electricity industry (producers, transporters, and electricity generators) have provided the primary initial funding for this worthwhile project."

Activities

ABEC's promotion of coal-generated electricity ignores or downplays concerns about current industry emission levels and their links to health and environmental concerns.

Outreach by ABEC has included program underwriting on National Public Radio in the spring of 2002 promoting coal as America's energy source of the future. ABEC also produced a short subject video that played on United Airlines flights. According to ABEC, the video "discusses coal's role in providing reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean electricity for American homes, schools, and businesses."

Clean coal ads

According to Issue Ads @ APPC, ABEC sponsored three TV ads that ran a total of 845 times in Washington, D.C. in 2002.

"One ad stated that Americans 'are learning that advancements in clean coal technologies are effectively making our environment cleaner.' According to a second ad, 'electricity from coal is an increasingly clean source of energy.' The ad said that according to the U.S. Department of Energy, 'new coal-based power plants built beginning in about 2020 may well use technologies that are so advanced that they'll be virtually pollution-free.' Another ad, which aired in 2001 as well as 2002, stated that over 50% of the American energy supply comes from coal. The ad advocated coal power as a principal energy supply, noting that $50 billion was invested in creating technologies that make coal power cleaner and safe for the environment."

In 2001, ABEC ran one TV ad a total of 940 times in Washington, D.C. "The ad, which also appeared in 2002, stated that over 50% of the American energy supply comes from coal. The ad advocated coal power as a principal energy supply, noting that $50 billion was invested in creating technologies that make coal power cleaner and safe for the environment.

2008 presidential campaign outreach

In September 2007, ABEC released "requests for proposal," seeking public relations help "in targeting the public, politicians, interest groups, and the media" on the national level, and also in Pennsylvania and Nevada. In the proposals, ABEC stated "Nevada (DOC) is perhaps one of the most volatile states in the west regions for ABEC's industry," so its PR work in the state includes issues management, as well as presidential candidate outreach and identifying "cities and communities critical to helping shape policy at the grassroots level." ABEC's Pennsylvania (DOC) PR campaign is less intense, involving "regulatory / legislative communications," "grassroots assistance," and various types of media outreach.

The National Journal reported that ABEC's budget for PR, advertising and "grassroots" organizing quadrupled, from $8 million to $30 million a year, from 2007 to 2008. "Two words sum up why" the coal industry and its allies "opened their checkbooks," wrote the Journal -- "global warming."

In 2007, ABEC advertised during the CNN/YouTube Republican presidential candidate debates.

In January 2008, the Washington Post reported that ABEC "is waging a $35 million campaign in primary and caucus states to rally public support for coal-fired electricity and to fuel opposition to legislation that Congress is crafting to slow climate change." As of mid-January, ABEC had spent $1.3 million on ads in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina. The ads talked about "clean coal" and "70 percent cleaner" coal plants, though those reductions have been mostly in non-greenhouse gases.

ABEC also deployed staffers to the January 15, 2008, Democratic candidates' debate. "About 50 people, many of them paid, walked around as human billboards and handed out leaflets outside Tuesday's Democratic debate in Nevada with questions for voters to ask the candidates," reported the Washington Post.

In August 2008, the group, now ACCCE, planned to spend $2 million at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions promoting "clean coal" as the nation's energy solution. The Center for Public Integrity found that ACCCE spent $4.7 million on lobbying and efforts in the first six months of 2008 - more than any other organization devoted solely to influencing climate change legislation, and more than five times the amount spent by either the leading wind or solar industry groups.

Leaked memo on coal marketing strategies

In January 2009, a 2004 leaked memo to then Peabody CEO Irl F. Engelhardt from Steve Miller, who was President of the Center for Energy and Economic Development (now called American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity), detailed the public relations and lobbying strategies being used to counteract issues including climate change, mercury, plant development, and EPA rulings. Miller details methods used to "sow discord" among regions seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Other strategies revealed in the memo include:

• On climate change: "In the climate change arena, CEED focuses on three areas: opposing government-mandated controls of greenhouse gases (GHG), opposing 'regulation by litigation', and supporting sequestration and technology as the proper vehicles for addressing any reasonable concerns about greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere."
• More on climate change: "Our belief is that, on climate change like other issues, you must be for something rather than against everything. The combination of carbon sequestration and technology is what we preach and we are looking for more members in the choir."
• On regional cap and trade programs: "More than a year ago, New York Governor Pataki proposed an eleven-state regional CO₂ cap and trade program. CEED has been engaged in this effort from its beginning. Persuading Pennsylvania and Maryland (as major coal-consuming states) to stay on the sidelines, rather than signing onto this initiative, has been one element of our strategy. The other element is to pose voluntary sequestration and technology as the correct policy, rather than mandatory controls."
• On mercury: "Our strategy in dealing with mercury has been two-fold: prevent states from taking precipitous or unwarranted action to regulate mercury and engage in the federal rulemaking to protect the interests of coal-based electricity."
• More on mercury: "In 2003, the Quicksilver Caucus with ECOS [Environmental Council of States] tried to pass a resolution calling for the "virtual elimination" of mercury. CEED worked in a coalition with other organizations and companies to convince many states that the Quicksilver strategy was not the right approach and the "virtual elimination" verbiage failed."
• On proposed CO₂ regulation by the EPA: "About a dozen states sued the EPA last year alleging that the agency must regulate CO2 under the Clean Air Act. CEED was the lead organization for outreach to the vast majority of state attorneys general who intervened on the Bush Administration's side in new litigation designed to force CO2 regulation under the Clean Air Act."

PR and lobbying

According to the 2001 "O'Dwyer's Directory of Public Relations Firms," ABEC is listed as a client of the Denver-based MGA Communications. In its agency statement, MGA Communications specializes in "communications planning involving community involvement and education, sitings and compliance issues, public-private partnerships, 'green' product marketing, dispute resolution and crisis communications, media relations, primary research and marketing communications. MGA also has a substantial technology marketing and corporate reputation practice."

ABEC's president Stephen Miller is a registered lobbyists for ABEC on energy and environmental issues, according to Lobbyist.info. CEED and the Willard Group have also lobbied on behalf of ABEC.

In September 2008 O'Dwyers PR Daily reported that ACCCE "is a client of Las Vegas-based R&R Partners.

According to CQ Politics, between 2002 and 2007, Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, the predecessor of ACCCE, spent an average of $93,000 each year on federal lobbying. In 2008, ACCCE spent $9.9 million on federal lobbying in addition to $38 million for an ad campaign promoting "clean coal."

The Center for Public Integrity (CPI) estimated ACCCE's lobbying expenses at a somewhat higher amount: $10,465,276 in 2008.. CPI's "The Climate change Lobby" database lists ACCE's 2008 lobbyists, based on public records, as:

• ACCE staff spent $9,945,276 on in-house lobbying costs. The listed lobbyist was Stephen Miller;
• Quinn Gillespie & Associates who were paid $480,000 for lobbying services of Christopher McCannell, Jeff Connaughton, Manuel Ortiz, Mike Hussey, Patrick Von Bargen, Dave Hoppe.
• The Keelen Group, LLC which was paid $40,000 for the lobbying services of Paul Bailey.

NRDC parody of America's Power website

In 2008, the environmental group NRDC created a website, COAL POWER: Warming America, Warming the Planet, parodying the "America's Power" campaign sponsored by ABEC, the predecessor to ACCCE. The parody website (which is clearly labelled as a project of NRDC), mimics the America's Power website design. It is sponsored by an organization called "Americans for Burning Every Chunk of Coal" (ABECC). On the site are "facts," an "ask the experts" section, and "news."

Membership

Membership in ACCCE is heavily weighted toward coal mining and transportation companies; i.e., enterprises that are heavily wedded to coal. Rural electric cooperatives, among the heaviest users of coal in the utility sector, are also well represented. In contrast, investor-owned electric utilities are fairly lightly represented, a reflection of the fact that most electric utilites are no longer seeking to build new coal-fired power plants. As of May, 2008, the following organizations were members in ACCCE:

Coal mining and mining services

• ALCOA
• Alliance Coal,
• Arch Coal
• Berwind Natural Resources Corporation (coal leasing)
• BHP Billiton
• Buckeye Industrial Mining Company
• Caterpillar (mining equipment)
• CONSOL Energy
• Drummond Company
• Foundation Coal
• Jennmar Corporation (mining services)
• Joy Global Mining
• Murray Energy Corporation
• Natural Resource Partners L.P.
• Peabody Energy
• Western Fuels Association

Independent power producers

• Midwest Generation

Investor-owned utilities

• Allegheny Energy
• Ameren Corporation (also independent power production)
• American Electric Power
• DTE Energy (Detroit Edison)
• Duke Energy
• E.ON U.S.
• First Energy Corporation
• Luminant
• Mirant Corporation
• Progress Energy,
• Southern Company

Rural electrics

• Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation
• Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.
• Basin Electric Power Cooperative
• Buckeye Power,
• Oglethorpe Power Corporation
• Seminole Electric Cooperative
• Sunflower Electric Power Corporation
• Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association
• Western Farmers Electric Cooperative

Transportation

• BNSF Railway
• CSX Corporation
• Express Marine,
• Freightcar America (rail car manufacturing)
• Norfolk Southern
• Union Pacific Railroad

Personnel

Executive names and salaries are as reported in ACCCE's 2006 report to the IRS:

• Stephen L. Miller - President and CEO, salary $969,460
• John Paul - Vice President, North Region, salary $196,194
• Rosemary L. Wilson - Vice President, Policy, salary $171,088
• Randy Eminger - Vice President, South Region, salary $170,256
• Terry Ross - Vice President, West Region, salary $168,372
• Mark Ourada - Vice President, Outreach, salary $161,362
• Scott Wiseman - Vice President, Midwest Region, salary $156,727
• Philip T. Klingelhofer - Secretary-Treasurer, salary $153,005
• Steve Gates - Senior Communications Director
• Cathy Coffey - Northeast Region Communications Director
• Leah Arnold - South Region Communications Director
• Cullen West - Midwest Communications Director
• Brad Jones - Western Region Communications Director
• Paul Bailey - Senior Vice President for Federal Affairs (head lobbyist)

Funding

In 2006, under the name "Center for Energy and Economic Development," ACCCE reported $2,500,556 in assets and $7,802,486 in income. The vast majority of the group's income -- $7,203,781 -- came from membership fees. ACCCE reported spending $3,033,072 on executive and other employee salaries and benefits. ACCCE reported spending $938,070 on lobbying, an additional $15,700 on "issue advocacy," and $751,359 on "regulatory monitoring."

Contact information

American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity Website http://www.cleancoalusa.org/
Phone: 703-684-6292

Address 333 John Carlyle Street, Suite 530
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Individual contact Steve Gates, Senior Communications Director
Email: SGates AT cleancoalusa.org
Phone: 703-302-1223 (direct), (703) 684-7473 (national office)

Americans for Balanced Energy Choices
P.O. Box 1638
Alexandria, Virginia 22313
Phone: 1-877-358-6699
Web: http://www.americaspower.org

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• America's Power
• Americans for Balanced Energy Choices
• Audio news releases
• Clean Coal
• Clean Coal Marketing Campaign
• Clean Coal Technology
• Fake news
• Mining industry
• National Mining Association

External resources

• Greenpeace campaign against Greenwashing Dirty Coal

External articles

• Mercury Releases from Power Plants, Environmental Media Services, June 28, 2001
• Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, Earthdayresource.org
• Rebecca Stanfield, Darkening Skies: Trends Toward Increasing Power Plant Emissions, U.S. PIRG Education Fund for Clear the Air, the National Campaign Against Dirty Power, April 4, 2002.
• EPA issuing rules on power plant mercury, USA Today, March 14, 2005.
• Rainforest Action Network, "Rainforest Action Network to Wall Street: No New Coal", Media Release, February 25, 2007. (Also via the Business Ethics Network website here).
• David Roberts, "'Even Santa is rethinking his position on coal!': Coal industry kicks off a PR campaign aimed at influencing lawmakers", Gristmill, December 19, 2007.
• Matthew Brown and Matt Gouras (Associated Press), "Amid Election, Coal Takes the Offensive," Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2008.
• Jim Snyder, "Coal out in force at green convention," The Hill, August 26, 2008.
• "New Name for Coal Group; Gore Raps Coal," O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), September 25, 2008.
• Press release, "New Ad Campaign Distorts the Reality of Clean Coal Technology," American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, December 4, 2008.
• John Byrne, "Coal industry scrubs 'Clean Coal Carolers' after Raw Story, subsequent reports," The Raw Story, December 12, 2008.
• Daniel J. Weiss, Nick Kong, Sam Schiller, Alexandra Kougentakis, "The Clean Coal Smoke Screen," Center for America Progress, December 22, 2008.
• David Roberts, "The essential 'clean coal' scam: Politico lets shill get away with the basic dodge at the center of the 'clean coal' campaign," Gristmill blog, December 23, 2008.
• Fred Pearce, "Greenwash: Why 'clean coal' is the ultimate climate change oxymoron: The people who told us for years that climate change was a myth now say it's all true -- but something called 'clean coal' can fix it. This is pure and utter greenwash," Guardian (UK), February 26, 2009.