Builders hold rally for coal plants in Michigan Posted by Joe Lucas on 10/08/2009 02:44:37 PM

On Tuesday, nearly 2,000 people – mostly ironworkers, electricians, carpenters and other builders looking for work – rallied outside the Michigan Capitol to demand action on the permitting of two new clean coal plants. The state air permits have been pending for two years.

Meanwhile, Michigan’s unemployment rate has climbed to 15.2 percent in August. As unemployment worsens, the pace of workers moving out of the state quickens. Michigan is shedding residents faster than a Siberian Husky loses fur in August. Michigan loses a family to outmigration every 12 minutes.

Given that climate, you would think Michigan’s leaders would quickly embrace projects that would create new jobs, pump money into the economy and provide affordable, reliable electricity for businesses and consumers.

You might think that, but you would be wrong. And that’s why nearly 2,000 mostly unemployed members of the building trades showed up Tuesday for the pro-coal plant rally in Lansing.

The Boxer-Kerry bill: the next chapter Posted by Joe Lucas on 09/29/2009 01:18:21 PM

ACCCE supports the adoption of a mandatory federal program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We believe that such a program needs to focus on three primary goals – 1) bringing new technologies to the marketplace to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 2) driving down the cost of deploying these technologies so as to protect access to affordable, reliable energy, and 3) promoting greater energy independence through use of domestic fuels like coal to meet growing energy needs. Our support for this type of bill has never wavered.

Tomorrow will be another major milestone in the journey of developing a federal climate policy. Sen. Barbara Boxer (chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee) and Sen. John Kerry (chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) will release their proposed bill that will now begin to be considered by various Senate committees. At least six committees in the Senate will have jurisdiction over the bill.

We’ll approach tomorrow’s release of the Boxer-Kerry bill as we have with other similar proposals in the past. We’ll take the time to analyze the bill to determine if it meets our legislative principles. If there are areas where we feel that improvements to the bill are needed – we’ll work constructively with those in the Senate toward achieving the joint goal of ultimately passing a bill that will reduce emissions, ensure economic growth and prosperity, and protect America’s energy security.

You can stay informed on this debate by staying engaged here on our site, or if you want to join our advocacy army (now over 225,000 community leaders from all across the U.S.), click here.

On the road for affordable energy Posted by Joe Lucas on 08/31/2009 01:00:00 PM

It’s summer – a time of festivals, fairs, outdoor concerts and baseball. And in the summer of 2009, it’s also a time to focus on affordable energy.

As Americans gathered at public events throughout August, ACCCE sent outreach teams to eight states to talk to people with genuine concerns about energy prices. Our teams attended county and state fairs, participated in parades and met concerned business owners on Main Street.

Each team gave out materials with ACCCE’s message about ensuring that coal stays a part of the energy mix to keep electricity affordable. We gave out flyers, hats, t-shirts, pens, cards, stickers and bumper stickers. In three short weeks, we personally distributed our message nearly 95,000 times. During that time, we drove 41,000 miles, visited 264 cities, and attended 73 fairs, including four state fairs.

We collected the stories of families and small business owners like Denise, owner of the Tangle Salon in Terre Haute, Ind., who said, “We have to dry hair and nails, heat water, run the air conditioner or run the heater. Energy must be affordable or I would be in trouble.”

We visited and spoke at eight Kiwanis club meetings, as you can see in this video.

Reaching out to college students was an important part of our outreach. We visited 43 campuses and heard many stories like this one.

Sporting events were great places to meet folks and talk about keeping coal in America’s energy mix. We attended 44 sporting events, including major and minor league baseball games, preseason football games, NASCAR races, college football practices and even a surfing competition. Check out the reception we got. 

Finally, we have no doubt that the people of America understand the need and role for coal in America’s energy future – listen to the Americans we met in this video.

Catch our updates all week from scientific conference Posted by Joe Lucas on 03/23/2009 11:59:17 AM

As you know, America’s coal-based electricity providers have invested more than $90 billion in technologies since 1970 to reduce emissions. Due to investments like these, our coal-based generating fleet is more than 77 percent cleaner in terms of emissions currently regulated under existing Clean Air Act programs per unit of energy produced.

And there is over $6 billion in clean coal research underway right now in 41 states — even ones not normally associated with coal production. Use this map to learn about clean coal technology projects around the country.

In order to learn even more about the exciting research taking place around the country, we'll be attending the annual National Energy Technology Laboratory conference on carbon capture.

Look for updates on the blog — and on our Twitter feed — all week from the conference!

Our new TV ad (sneak peak!) Posted by Joe Lucas on 03/23/2009 09:22:49 AM

We are giving our blog readers a sneak peak at our newest TV spot, which begins airing this week.

As you'll see from this ad, we are reminding Americans that we all move to the beat of America’s economy. And that beat is driven by affordable energy.

Stay informed about America's energy future, and join us in supporting investments in our most abundant energy resource as a means to create an affordable and clean energy future for all Americans.

Listen to the beat of a moving economy:

ACCCE on the radio Posted by Joe Lucas on 03/19/2009 03:34:22 PM

I was a guest on Mickelson in the Morning on Iowa’s WHO Radio the other day.

You can use the player below to listen to Jan Mickelson and I talk about President Obama’s energy policy, the importance of affordable electricity and other aspects of America’s energy debate.

Our response to the ad critcism Posted by Joe Lucas on 02/12/2009 05:39:20 PM

Recently, one of our advertisements featuring President Obama’s remarks in favor of clean coal has come under scrutiny from Greenpeace. To answer any lingering questions about the content of the ad, I thought I’d post my official response to Greenpeace from January 29:

Mr. Mike Clark
Executive Director
Greenpeace USA
702 H Street, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20001

Dear Mr. Clark:

I am in receipt of your letter addressed to Steve Gates, our national communications director. Your letter expresses concerns related to our current television ad which features comments made by President Obama regarding the role of clean coal in America’s energy future. While I can appreciate that you might not support the President’s position on this matter, we do.

Throughout the 2008 campaign, President Obama spoke on numerous occasions about American coal’s role in a diverse energy portfolio that creates jobs, promotes energy independence, and, through the use of advanced technologies, allows us to make good on the commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of energy production in this country – including technologies that will allow for the capture and safe storage of CO2 for coal and other fossil-fueled power plants. President Obama’s views were expressed in town hall meetings, on the campaign’s website, in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, and in televised debates with Senator McCain.

Tell your senator you stand for clean coal technology Posted by Joe Lucas on 02/04/2009 05:37:58 PM

The U.S. Senate is considering an economic stimulus package that includes $4.6 billion for clean coal technology projects. This amount is consistent with President Obama's commitment to CCT to continue environmental progress. This $4.6 billion is important because:

*It contributes to energy independence, allowing us to use coal that is right here in America

*It stimulates the economy and could create almost 7 million job-years of employment and over $1 trillion in sales

*It will help fight climate change and aid other environmental goals by promoting technologies to reduce carbon dioxide and major air pollutants

ACCCE supports the $4.6 billion for clean coal technology projects in the Senate proposal and wants to make sure that it stays in the final version of a bill. At the same time, we oppose an amendment by Sen. Coburn of Oklahoma that would do away with funding for developing near-zero emissions power plants.

If you feel - as we do - that it is important to adequately fund advanced clean coal technology projects to create jobs, fight climate change and meet other environmental objectives, please take a moment to write to your senators right now. We expect that the Senate will vote on this measure by the end of the week.

Open the door, it's the Clean Coal Carolers! Posted by Joe Lucas on 12/09/2008 12:39:51 PM

‘Tis the season for peace, light and spreading good cheer. And that’s exactly what our Clean Coal Carolers have set out to do.

Stop by to get a sweet serenade from the seven carolers, send the holiday jingles to a friend and connect with other Clean coal Caroler fans on Facebook (where you’ll also learn more about each singer).

We also encourage you to look around America’s Power to learn more about why coal is the stocking stuffer of choice this year—it’s abundant, affordable and cleaner than ever…and will help you power your holiday lights this season.

Enjoy the Carolers, and have a bright and happy holiday season.