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FACES of Coal claims its membership includes 70 different coal and non-coal organizations, businesses, and individuals, including representatives of the tourism industry and state and county governments.<ref name="sax"/> However, its website provides no list of members.<ref>[http://www.facesofcoal.org FACES of Coal,] accessed August 2009.</ref> The group describes itself as "an alliance of people from all walks of life" and a "grassroots movement" to communicate the importance of coal in the U.S. to legislators and the general public.<ref>[http://www.facesofcoal.org/?p=574 "FACES of Coal Campaign Launches in Charleston,"] FACES of Coal, August 19, 2009.</ref> 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.<ref>Kate Sheppard, [http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-20-who-are-the-faces-behind-faces-for-coal/ "Who are the faces behind FACES of Coal?,"] Grist, August 20, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.appvoices.org/index.php?/frontporch/blogposts/farces_of_coals_fake_supporters/ "FACES of Coal are iStockPhotos?!,"] Appalachian Voices Front Porch Blog, August 26, 2009.</ref>
==[[Astroturf bloggingin the Gas Industry]]== '''Energy in Depth''' (EID) is a pro-oil-and-gas drilling industry [[front group]] formed by the [[American Petroleum Institute]], the [[Independent Petroleum Association of America]] (IPAA) and dozens of additional industry organizations for the purpose of denouncing legislation proposed by Colorado U.S. Rep. [[Diana DeGette]] to regulate underground hydraulic fracturing fluids. [[Hydraulic fracturing]] of underground geological formations, commonly called "fracking," was invented by the [[Halliburton]] Company. It is done to increase the amounts of oil and gas that can be extracted from existing wells. <ref name="ThinkProg">Alexandra Kougentakis, Brad Johnson [http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/06/12/frack-attack/ What The Frack? Gas Industry’s Multimillion-Dollar Campaign Demonizes Hydraulic Fracturing Bill], ''Think Progress''; The Wonk Room. June 12, 2009</ref> Energy in Depth attempts to paint grassroots opposition to shale gas fracking as being part of a conspiracy of NGOs. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/78189224/Energy-in-Depth-Frack-Talk] How such a conspiracy applies to grassroots opposition in Quebec, Bulgaria, France and the UK is not clear - since the conspiracy theory of opposition exists primarily in Energy In Depths Power Point presentation. Energy in Depth hires locals as bloggers and "political organizers" with varying degrees of credulity and effectiveness. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/78149419/Fracking-Shills-for-Hire-Energy-in-Depth] Energy in Depth denounces DeGette's proposed fracking legislation as an “unnecessary financial burden on a single small-business industry, American oil and natural gas producers.” In June, 2009, Energy in Depth started a multimillion dollar lobbying and public relations campaign aimed at derailing public health legislation that would require the disclosure of the chemicals used in fracking fluids. In addition to a Web site, EID's campaign includes a Twitter feed, a Facebook group, a YouTube channel and an aggressive advertising campaign. <ref name="ThinkProg"/> Energy in Depth trumpets the economic benefits of shale gas industrialization - which have been grossly overstated, most recently in New York.[http://www.scribd.com/doc/65070417/SGEIS-Socioeconomic-Hype-Voodoo-Frackonomics-2-0/Voodoo Frackonomics] When, in New York, dry gas from shale is not currently economic. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/71446252/Shale-Gas-Economics-in-New-York-Frackonomics-3-0] Energy in Depth is, in a sense, one of the most conspicuous manifestations of the gas industry's avowed "counter-insurgency" to attempt to discredit grass roots environmental activists; even to the extent of employing ex-military "psy-ops" specialists.[http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-11-09/news/30376767_1_download-cnbc-oil-industry-conference/Gas Industry Use Psy-Ops On Critics]. Energy in Depth have been featured speakers at gas industry conferences explaining how to counteract grass roots opposition to fracking. [http://www.texassharon.com/2011/11/13/facking-psyops-range-resources-changes-story-again/ "Counter Insurgents"] In this regard, Energy In Depth is part of a subculture of gas industry consultants that specialize in dealing with local opposition to fracking.[http://www.scribd.com/doc/70138119/How-to-Be-a-Fracking-Shil/Fracking Shils] ==Funders==Energy in Depth is funded by the [[El Paso Corporation]], [[XTO Energy]], [[Occidental Petroleum]], [[BP]], [[Anadarko]], [[Marathon]], [[EnCana]], [[Chevron]], Talisman, [[Shell]], API, the [[Independent Petroleum Association of America]], [[Halliburton]], [[Schlumberger]] and the [[Ohio Oil and Gas Association]].<ref>Barry Russell, Independent Petroleum Association of America President and CEO [http://www.desmogblog.com/sites/beta.desmogblog.com/files/HFUnderFire.pdf Hydraulic Fracturing Under Attack], memo/newsletter to IPAA members, June 5, 2009</ref>
==Astroturfing the judiciary==
