Americans For Balanced Energy Choices "Clean Coal" PR Spin Campaign Revealed

onJan 21, 2008 @ 13:09 PST

So what does a multi-million dollar PR campaign trying to put a green shiny face on the dirtiest energy sector look like?

The Washington Post ran a story last week about a $35 million PR spin/advertising effort being launched by a coal industry-funded organization called “Americans for Balanced Energy Choices” (ABEC).

So what does a multi-million dollar PR campaign trying to put a green shiny face on the dirtiest energy sector look like?

And DeSmogBlog has obtained a copy of the ABEC request for proposals for PR assistance in Nevada. The RFP gives you a good idea of how ABEC will go about selling America on the virtues of supposedly “clean coal.”

Attached is the entire RFP, here are some of the highlights:

Campaign Goals

Increase general public awareness of the importance of coal to America’s energy mix.

Educate key audiences on industry advances in the development and deployment of clean coal technology.

Help shape near-term, crucial state policy decisions through the implementation of an effective public affairs and media relations campaign.

Enhance the image and credibility of ABEC

Presidential Outreach

ABEC will be developing and implementing a comprehensive presidential outreach program. ABEC will look to the selected PRA to provide support with this program in Nevada.

Grassroots Assistance

ABEC will work with its Nevada consulting team and the PRA to identify cities and communities critical to helping shape policy at the grassroots level.

Regulation Communications

As part of ABEC’s broader, national communications campaign, a primary objective is to defeat unreasonable regulations that negatively impact the industry. ABEC will look to the PRA to assist in implementing communications strategies and tactics designed to assist in defeating such regulations when/if they arise.

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By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.