Clean Coal = Greenwash

Ever wonder why you are suddenly hearing so much about clean coal? The answer is alarming.

Clean coal is more than an oxymoron, its propaganda!

The coal industry recently launched a new front group, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) a project of the other coal front groups Center for Energy and Economic Development (CEED) and Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) who have been pushing Big Coal’s interests behind the scenes for many years.

But in 2008 they are going primetime. Having tapped coal companies and utilities for money, the groups launched a $45 million TV, print and online advertising campaign to re-brand coal as clean and patriotic- trying to greenwash one of the dirtiest sources of energy on earth.

ACCCE's campaign spin has taken over the election season, blitzing key state presidential primaries with clean coal propaganda in the form of billboards, advertisements and a blue sky painted “Power Van” driven by “volunteers” all over the country to political rallies and debates and loaded with clean coal propoganda handouts, t-shirts, hats etc...

Along with their print ad campaign and billboards, ACCCE paid CNN $5 million to be one of the main co-sponsors of six presidential debates, which gave them saturation advertising during the debates on television and on the CNN webpage. Grist noted the irony that during these debates, no questions have been asked about climate and specifically about coal.

None of this is a surprise when you look at where the money is coming from. SourceWatch has a breakdown of the ACCCE membership, which includes giants like Peabody Coal, Duke Energy, Southern Company, and American Electric Power.

But the truth is there is nothing clean about coal.

When the industry claims that coal is cleaner than before, it is only because of sulfur oxide (SOX) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) reductions that were required by law and fought by industry tooth and nail. At the same time coal burning is the single largest source of carbon dioxide pollution and nothing is being done to reduce coal consumption. Instead industry hides behind science fiction technology - “carbon capture-ready” facilities - as a way to get more polluting power plants approved. Read more on CCS: A Coal and Electricity Industry Pipedream.

The latest volley is the “I believe” TV ad campaign that looks like it could be an Obama commercial or part of Al Gore’s “We” campaign… Watch carefully for the Clean Coal stamp at the end and NO other mention of coal during the entire ad.

Beyond all this happy talk, the truth is these corporations are lobbying hard to keep the status quo and avoid more regulations.

In 2007 these groups, reported lobbying money spent to oppose renewable portfolio standards and the Lieberman-Warner bill. This year they have outlined legislative principles (pdf)which are nothing more than the usual conservative measures to protect themselves from future investments in real steps that address climate change.

They may have millions to spend greenwashing coal, but the truth is coal will never be clean.