User:BiancaPrade/sandbox

Sandbox test.

Working methods

Legislative

In addressing comprehensive climate change legislation that would place a cap on greenhouse gas emissions and allow for trading of emission allowances, the position of ACCCE has primarily involved advocating for the development and use of clean coal technologies, while also including provisions concerning the allocating of carbon emission allowances. ACCCE has as also expressed support for a ceiling on emission allowances prices. At the time in 2008 when the U.S. Senate was considering the Lieberman-Warner bill (bill number S. 2191) – which would create a cap and trade system – ACCCE changed its prior stance towards climate-change legislation, noting that it "would support mandatory limits on carbon dioxide as long as legislation met a set of principles that encouraged 'robust utilization of coal.'"

The group also employed legislative efforts surrounding the 2009 debate over the Waxman-Markey cap and trade legislation (bill number H.R. 2454), to which it argued that regulations relating to carbon emissions in the proposed legislation would have led to increased energy costs and reduction in employment – potentially placing additional strain on the economy during the late 2000s recession. ACCCE provided proposals to Members of Congress for changes in this legislation, and approved of some changes that were adopted; though the group did not support the final version of the bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives on account of concerns that there were not enough measures taken to control energy rates.

In September 2012, ACCCE submitted a letter to the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, expressing its support for (bill number H.R. 3409), also known as the "Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012." The letter relayed what ACCCE considered the positive aspects coal has brought to America, and expressed concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's rules against coal. ACCCE identified the economic impacts to shutting down coal-fired power plants, including reduction in tax revenues for towns which house coal mines, and resulting job losses for ___. The organization stated that, according to its own analysis, more than 200 coal-based electric generating units across 25 states are scheduled to be shut down, in part due to EPA regulations. A study commissioned by ACCCE the following month asserted that "seven EPA rules will cost 1.5 million jobs, and between $198 billion to $220 billion over four years in compliance costs for the electricity sector." ACCCE supported this legislation on the grounds of maintaining affordable electricity prices and sustaining jobs; however opponents of the bill -- primarily consisting of Democrats and renewable energy advocates in this instance -- suggest that "the coal industry is on the decline because of competition from other energy sources like cheap natural gas, and not because of regulations."http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/21/house-votes-to-stop-the-war-on-coal/

Advocacy-based

In addition to legislative methods employed by ACCCE, the organization has engaged in consumer-focused advocacy efforts in response to perceived environmental effects surrounding clean coal, consisting of direct to consumer advertising, as well as a group of approximately 225,000 volunteers involved in "visiting town hall meetings, fairs and other functions attended by members of Congress (to) ask questions about energy policy."

http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/influencealley/2012/07/k-street-searches-for-new-technology-finds-google-20

Initiatives of this form became the subject of news coverage surrounding the 2008 United States presidential election, as the organization's presence at the Democratic National Convention, Republican National Convention, presidential debates and other events has been described as having impacted both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama's positions in regards to investment in clean coal. In the last debate held prior to the election in 2008, Senator Obama noted his support of clean coal technology, when prompted by Senator McCain to explain a time in which he had backed a position not favored by the leaders of the democratic party.

2012 Election: http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/energy-issue-as-proxy-in-obama-romney-campaigns-20121011

Television ad campaign "encouraged Americans to vote to 'send leaders to Washington who will build the future on a solid foundation.' http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/influencealley/2012/10/coal-lobby-launches-ad-ahead-of-debate-02

Another method in which ACCCE is relaying their viewpoints is through television commercials to the American public. ACCCE uses celebrities in their commercials, like Dale Earnhardt, to support coal usage in America.

ACCCE's legislative positions and advocacy-based actions have been met with opposing viewpoints from advocacy groups such as the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, which have questioned the viability of developing environmentally sustainable clean coal within an adequate time frame and budget – representing their perspective that funding of such projects should be sourced exclusively from within the coal industry.