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WASHINGTON D.C. — Now in the twelfth and final day of the 2011 Lump of Coal Award announcements, the American Energy Alliance has concluded this year’s tribute to the politicians, policymakers, and others who have proven the worst enemies of affordable American energy. Today’s recipient is the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama.

In a late decision on Thursday evening, the “Lump of Coal” Awards Committee determined that the president’s unique hostilities to conventional energy sources required a modification of the award. Rather than present President Obama with a lump of coal — a most valuable commodity — AEA has replaced the final award this year with a share of Solyndra stock. To see a video entitled “The Story of Solyndra & the Obama Administration,” click below:

“President Obama didn’t deserve a lump of coal this year, quite honestly,” noted AEA President Tom Pyle in the award announcement. “For energy policies that are worthless, the Committee determined that the President deserved something equally worthless.

“Before taking office, President Obama promised that energy prices would necessarily skyrocket during his administration, and so they have. Americans are now paying more for gasoline during Christmas than at any time in history. The new EPA regulations on coal-fired power plants are going to cost consumers more than $11 billion over the next 5 years. And then there are costs that cannot be fully measured.

“The cost of delaying final authorization of the Keystone XL pipeline is more than $70 million every day, yet the president won’t make a decision. The cost of the president’s moratorium on offshore drilling was more than $2 billion in the first six months. The bureaucratic delays in permitting, and the failure to open federal lands for exploration are costing Americans untold billions more.

“The current boom in oil and natural gas production — and the tens of thousands of jobs associated with it — is happening despite the president’s green fetish. In North Dakota, for instance, the federal government controls only a tiny fraction of the available acreage. It’s no wonder that the Peace Garden State has the lowest unemployment in the country.

“The president and his energy team backed Solyndra, assuring Americans that $535 million in taxpayer guarantees for the company would create jobs and strengthen our energy future. Today, Solyndra is bankrupt and 1,100 workers are unemployed. More than anything, Solyndra represents the failed energy policies of this Administration. We felt it was only appropriate to give him a share of its worthless stock to commemorate the effects that his administration is having on the country, the economy, and our energy future.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance continued its inaugural tradition of awarding a “Lump of Coal” to the biggest enemies of affordable domestic energy production by announcing today’s recipient: former House Speaker and current Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

“Rather than enumerate all the reasons why AEA believes Nancy Pelosi is right near the top of the list of affordable energy’s enemies, we’ve decided to let today’s recipient speak for herself.  Culling the vast archives of rhetoric that demonstrate the former speaker’s inability to understand global energy markets or the negative impacts that her legislative proposals have on the American economy proved a daunting task.  The sheer volume of her various inaccuracies, inanities, and ignorances is overwhelming,” noted AEA President Tom Pyle.

“We could have mentioned her fondness for crony capitalism and nepotism, or the failures of her Greening the Capitol initiative, or the simple fact that the American people rejected her energy and environmental policies and voted out a record number of her colleagues in the 2010 election cycle. As it is, we believe that her words speak for themselves and substantiate today’s honor.”

A selected list of Nancy Pelosi’s quotes on energy policy are below:

• “Natural gas is a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels.” 8.24.08
• “I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet.” 7.29.08
• “We must press for legislation that invests in clean, renewable energy and efficient technologies, reduces transit fares, helps Americans struggling with energy prices, rewards conservation, cracks down on oil speculators and oil price gouging, forces Big Oil to ‘use it or lose it’ on federal drilling permits, and transitions America to a new, more affordable energy future.” (Pelosi website)
• “America must not wait to begin the work of achieving real reductions in carbon emissions, even as the negotiations to implement the Durban accord continue.” 12.11.11
• “As the nation joins with California to adopt tough [fuel efficiency] standards, we recognize that this moment couldn’t have happened without California leading the way.  This move will encourage American entrepreneurship, as innovators reach to build the next generation of fuel-efficient vehicles.” 7.29.11
• “[Congressman] Markey has led the way, written the books, preached the gospel on how we can be much more energy efficient in our country, save the taxpayers’ dollars, and protect the consumers.”5.11.11
• “Investing in clean energy and tackling the climate crisis has long been more than an environmental issue.  It’s an economic issue — it’s about jobs in our country, creating good-paying clean energy jobs of the future.”  2.28.11
• “The Obama Administration’s initiative regarding drilling on public lands must ensure than any offshore and onshore plan proceeds in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner.  Taxpayers who own these resources have been historically shortchanged from the huge profits received from drilling on public lands, and must receive a fair return in the future.” 3.31.10
• “Our ‘Green the Capitol’ initiative is a symbol of Congress’ commitment to the future.  We’ve reduced our reliance on fossil fuels with wind power and conservation, started printing the Congressional Record on 100 percent recycled paper, replaced traditional light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives, and increased recycling across all Members’ offices.  So far, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 74 percent.  These steps save money for our nation’s taxpayer, create good-paying jobs, and cut pollution caused by global warming.” 1.29.10
• “[B]usiness leaders informed us that their businesses are thriving in the fields of energy efficiency and green technologies.  They stressed that the funding provided by Congress through our Recovery Package has been crucial to making the investments that are producing jobs for Americans and new products that promote energy efficiency, specifically smart grid technology.”  12.18.09
• “The science is clear: global warming is real, its impacts are being felt around the world, and carbon emissions present a danger to public health and the economy worldwide.” 12.7.09
• “The Obama Administration has taken solid steps forward this week to move our nation toward a clean energy future.  These announcements by the Administration show that the Recovery Act is working to create new clean energy jobs to put people back to work, revolutionize the way we power our economy, and drive American innovation.” 10.27.09
• “This is the moment we can unleash private sector investment in clean energy to create millions of new jobs and make American the global innovation leader.  It will promote clean energy technology — made it America.  It will put America in the lead in the global competition.  As we rebuild America in a green way, we will create jobs that cannot be shipped overseas.  We are creating a framework in which innovation can occur and that gives business certainty that we are moving to a clean energy future.  That will unleash innovation, investment, and venture capital to drive new technologies into the market.” 6.26.09
• “Yesterday, the House passed legislation allowing Americans to trade in their old, gas-guzzling vehicles and receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help pay for new more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.  When they trade in these cars, they will strength America’s auto industry, creating jobs and reducing layoffs, and save more than 250 million gallons of gas.” 6.10.09
• “We must change the energy marketplace so we can save our country and our planet.” 2.23.09
• “The [Obama] administration is stopping this headlong rush to open new offshore areas of drilling, calling for a thorough review, with much greater public participation.  And Secretary Salazar is wisely initiating a review of the potential for offshore renewable energy, and moving forward with long-stalled rules to ensure that offshore renewable energy projects can proceed in an environmentally responsible way.  We cannot drill our way to energy independence.” 2.10.09

The American Energy Alliance previewed the inaugural 2011 “Lump of Coal Awards” for energy stupidity, which will be announced December 8-23, 2011.  To learn more about coal’s important place in America’s energy future,click here.  To learn the facts about coal production in the United States, click here.

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WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance knows that Senator Harry Reid already left town for his Christmas vacation, with no intention of returning to Washington until next year.  Nevertheless, the American Energy Alliance has selected Senator Reid as today’s recipient of the 2011 “Lump of Coal” Award for his unyielding opposition to affordable energy for American consumers.

“Senator Harry Reid left town last weekend with the bipartisan-passed Keystone XL pipeline provision hanging in legislative limbo.  The current impasse over final approval of the pipeline exists for the sole reason that Senator Reid doesn’t want to interrupt his Christmas vacation,” noted AEA President Tom Pyle in today’s award announcement.

“Two years ago, when it was Obamacare before the Senate, Harry Reid was more than willing to keep the Senate in session through the night and into the morning of Christmas eve to pass the bill, which almost immediately began to stall job creation according to a Heritage Foundation study.  But now, when it’s a bill that will almost immediately create 20,000 jobs and keep the U.S. from sending $70 million overseas for oil imports, Senator Reid is already in his cap and settling down for a long winter’s nap.

“Everybody knows that Harry Reid hates coal.  We also know that he supports crony capitalism for green energy producers. And we know that he’s willing to hurt the coal industry by using parliamentary tricks on the Senate floor.  But the time for his cloakroom stunts and procedural delays to end.  Americans need jobs, and they need affordable energy.  His failure to lead, and his willingness to forestall development of the Keystone XL pipeline make him a most deserving recipient of this year’s award.”

The American Energy Alliance previewed the inaugural 2011 “Lump of Coal Awards” for energy stupidity, which will be announced December 8-23, 2011.  To learn more about coal’s important place in America’s energy future,click here.  To learn the facts about coal production in the United States, click here.

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WASHINGTON D.C. — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the nation’s capital, and the seasonal waft of wood fires burning and chestnuts roasting is filling the rarefied air on Capitol Hill.  But in the shadowy enclaves of the behemoth national headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator Lisa Jackson has prepared an old fashioned, Whoville-killing, Grinch-style regulation to increase the cost of electricity and bankrupt American job creators.  In recognition of her regulatory chokehold on the U.S. economy, the American Energy Alliance today presents Administrator Lisa Jackson with a “Lump of Coal” Award.

“In Lisa Jackson’s America, rolling blackouts will keep consumers from Christmas shopping, or enjoying Christmas lights with their families.  In Lisa Jackson’s America, millions of Americans who work in coal, oil, and natural gas industries will be unemployed.  In Lisa Jackson’s America, sundry salamanders, snails and sage grouses will matter more than warm holiday hearths and homes,” noted AEA’s Senior Vice President for Policy, Dan Kish.

“Last week, Lisa Jackson’s America took another step toward ending hydraulic fracturing, which has led to a renaissance in the American energy sector and created tens of thousands of jobs.  This week, Lisa Jackson’s America will learn how many power plants it has to close down.  In fact, hardly a week has passed in the last three years that Lisa Jackson wasn’t imposing her radical views through regulatory fiat.

“For her singular commitment to end America’s affordable carbon-based energy despite our vast resources, and for her apparent willingness to keep the American economy in a perpetual recession, AEA presents Administrator Jackson with one of this year’s “Lump of Coal” awards.”

The American Energy Alliance previewed the inaugural 2011 “Lump of Coal Awards” for energy stupidity, which will be announced December 8-23, 2011.  To learn more about coal’s important place in America’s energy future,click here.  To learn the facts about coal production in the United States, click here.