Earth Equity News

'Clean Coal' Proponents Gear Up. By Lisa Lerer, Politico, August 5, 2009. "A coal and utility industry coalition has launched a major campaign pushing industrial and farm state Democratic senators to boost coal-friendly provisions in the Senate climate and energy bill. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a lobbying group reviled by environmentalists, plans to target Democrats at home over the August recess with online, radio, billboard and, likely, television advertising. The message: Coal power plants can be clean and are necessary to produce low-cost energy for consumers and business. One of its billboards shows an electric cord being plugged into a lump of coal with the slogan, 'A climate bill needs to protect Ohio jobs.' The coalition also plans to deploy teams to question senators at town hall meetings, advertise at state fairs and other summer events and visit lawmakers' offices back home... The group's membership includes major coal, utility and railroad companies and claims a grass-roots force of 200,000 people, called 'America's power army.' Its annual budget is more than $40 million."