FACES of Coal
{{#badges: Front groups|CoalSwarm}} FACES of Coal, which stands for Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security, is a coal industry front group. The group, which is affiliated with West Virgina Coal Association front group Friends of Coal,[1] launched in August 2009 with the following four-pronged mission statement:[2][1]
*to campaign for the economic prosperity coal provides through good jobs and affordable energy;
* to protect the nation’s security and tradition of self-reliance through the use of coal, the most abundant and affordable domestic source of energy;
* to preserve the environment by promoting good stewardship of our natural resources; and
* to strengthen communities by advancing technologies that mine coal using safe and environmentally and economically responsible mining methods.
The group claims to be "an alliance of people from all walks of life"[2] and describes itself as a "grassroots movement" to communicate the importance of coal in the U.S. to legislators and the general public.[3] However, the "faces" featured on the group’s website -- including a woman working at a flower shop, a boy playing golf with his father, a family walking with a baby by a white picket fence, a fireman, and a grandmother waving an American flag -- turned out to be royalty-free stock photos from a company called iStockphoto.[4][5] The “faces” shown on the group’s website include a smiling flower vender,
Contact Information
Web: http://www.facesofcoal.org/
Email: info@facesofcoal.org
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 "FACES of Coal Plans to Highlight Industry’s Importance," WVNS-TV, August 20, 2009.
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 About Us, FACES of Coal, accessed August 2009.
- ↑ "FACES of Coal Campaign Launches in Charleston," FACES of Coal, August 19, 2009.
- ↑ Kate Sheppard, "Who are the faces behind FACES of Coal?," Grist, August 20, 2009.
- ↑ "FACES of Coal are iStockPhotos?!," Appalachian Voices Front Porch Blog, August 26, 2009.
