Overburn by a Coal Industry Front Group

In 2008 the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a coal industry lobby group, spent $9.9 million on federal lobbying as well as $38 million on advertising promoting "clean coal." The president of the coalition, Steven L. Miller, said "we’re fighting for our livelihood." Coral Davenport reports that the coalition "won't try to block a climate bill -- it's inevitable, Miller says -- but will try to influence how it's structured, chiefly by delaying emission limits until clean coal is a commercial reality -- if it ever is." The coalition also hired Quinn Gillespie & Associates. "We are ramping up even more beyond the effort we had last year," Miller said. However, some lobbying insiders doubt that the scale of the campaign is warranted. "You can only influence and pressure people so much. If you're spending that kind of money, you’re not getting your money’s worth," an anonymous insider said.