American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE)
Background
The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) was formed in 1977 by Clarke A. Watson in what it described as a “response to our nation’s energy crisis.” When the new administration formed a task force to address the 1973 oil embargo, AABE‘s founding members found that it neglected to include representation from persons of colour. [1], [6], [7]
“This group of African American professionals formed the American Association of Blacks in Energy to ensure that minorities who had knowledge and understanding of U.S. energy issues could bring their thinking to bear on the development of energy and environmental policy,” The AABE‘s 2009/2010 biennial report notes. It adds that the AABE‘s mission continues to be ensuring “African Americans and other minorities have a voice in ongoing energy policy debates.” [1]
AABE hosts regular events to “educate people about energy issues and the impact that energy policies has on our communities.” According to AABE, their goal is to offer “policy decision makers on national, state, and local levels the information they need to better understand the impacts of energy policy on minority and low income communities.” [1]
It does this through building coalitions which “increase our visibility, recognition, and impact on the public policy process.” AABE‘s board members and leadership includes representation from across the energy industry, including executives from companies such as Duke Energy, Chevron, Southern Company, ExxonMobil, Exelon, Ameren, and many others. [1]
Stance on Climate Change
2013
While AABE does appear to address climate change as a serious concern, AABE still promotes the development of oil, natural gas, and coal. Below are some points from its “Fossil Energy Principles” document: [19]
“AABE supports a balanced energy portfolio approach for the United States, which includes the development all fossil energy (e.g., oil, natural gas, coal) reserves in a manner which can create jobs and spur economic development especially in historically underserved communities. “
“Clean Coal” is listed among technologies that AABE supports:
“AABE recognizes that there is no silver bullet for addressing environmental issues. A wide array of technologies and policy options must be pursued, including clean coal standards.”
It also supports natural gas as a so-called “bridge fuel”:
“AABE recognizes the expanded use of natural gas as a potential bridge fuel between today’s fossil energy demands and future clean technology advances.”
2008–2013
A “Climate Change Principles” (PDF) document from the AABE website says that “AABE supports GHG reduction policies which do not result in net negative impact on jobs, trade balances, and the cost of goods and services over the long term.” A similar version of the document was adopted by the AABE Board of Directors in April of 2013 (.doc). [2], [3]
Primary “principles” listed in the document are reproduced below:
- “AABE supports mechanisms to achieve cost-effective GHG reductions and recognizes that market mechanisms such as cap & trade, tax, a mixture, or other approaches are currently being discussed.
- “AABE supports the inclusion of all sectors of the economy and all sources of GHG in initiatives to reduce GHG emissions.
- “AABE supports consistency of GHG regulatory compliance timetables with expected development and deployment of needed technologies.
- “AABE supports policies that balance environmental improvements with economic development.
- “AABE supports policies that ensure that low- and fixed-income consumers do not shoulder a disproportionate impact as a result of efforts to address GHG emissions.
- “AABE supports cost containment measures designed to minimize the impact of the cost of compliance with GHG on low income consumers.
- “AABE supports policies that do not result in negative impact on jobs, trade balances, and the cost of goods and services.
- “AABE recognizes that there is no silver bullet for addressing the GHG issue. Options that must be pursued include but are not limited to the development, commercialization, and deployment of:
- Advanced clean coal technologies,
- Carbon capture and storage,
- Advanced nuclear energy generation,
- Energy efficiency, and
- Renewable energy technologies.
- “AABE supports fostering public-private partnerships for increasing research, development, and deployment in:
- Technologies aimed at reducing GHG emissions,
- Hydrogen fuel technology,
- Conventional hybrid vehicles,
- Plug-in hybrid vehicles,
- Vehicle-to-grid technologies, and
- Electric vehicles.
- AABE recognizes the importance of CAFÉ standards in achieving higher fuel economy and efficiency in vehicles.
- AABE supports the use of alternative fuels and the development of the needed infrastructure to facilitate the transition to new technologies utilizing alternative fuels.”
2004
A 2004 report prepared by Redefining Progress for the AABE and Redefining Progress concluded the following: [4]
“Climate change disproportionately affects the health, economic and social well-being of African Americans. Changes in the Earth’s atmosphere are occurring due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Power plants account for 38% of the most prevalent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, emitted from fossil fuel use in the U.S. Warming of the planet, together with more drought conditions in some regions and flooding in other regions, could induce crop failures, famines, flooding and other environmental, economic and social problems (Miller and Brown, 2000). In some regions, global climate change is also expected to exacerbate existing problems such as ozone formation and air pollution (Hansen, 2000). The potential health impacts of climate change include increased prevalence of infectious disease such as Dengue fever and West Nile virus, more heat-related stress and illness, and higher levels of ozone smog (EPA, 2001; IPCC, 2001). The African American community is particularly vulnerable to these.” [4]
Funding
The following is according to data collected by Conservative Transparency combined with original research of public 990 forms by DeSmog. [5]
View the attached spreadsheet for details on ABBE funding by year (.xlsx). [5]
| Donor | |||||
| Year | American Natural Gas Alliance | American Petroleum Institute | Exxon Mobil | Edison Electric Institute | Grand Total |
| 2001 | $5,000 | $5,000 | |||
| 2009 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |||
| 2010 | $20,000 | $10,000 | $30,000 | ||
| 2011 | $5,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| 2012 | $10,000 | $40,000 | $25,000 | $75,000 | |
| 2013 | $10,000 | $40,000 | $10,000 | $60,000 | |
| 2014 | $10,000 | $15,000 | $25,000 | ||
| 2015 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $25,000 | $65,000 | |
| 2016 | $10,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | ||
| Grand Total | $5,000 | $70,000 | $145,000 | $140,000 | $360,000 |
Energy Industry Donors
According to AABE‘s 2009/2010 Biennial Report, donors that year included the following corporations, divided by category based on donation size: [1]
Chairman ($100,000+)
President ($50,000 – $99,999)
- AGL Resources
- American Electric Power
- Archer Daniels Midland
- Duke Energy
- El Paso Energy Company
- El Paso Foundation
- Exelon Corp.
- Florida Power and Light
- General Electric
- NiSource
- Peabody Energy
- Progress Energy Company
- Public Service Enterprise Group
- Southern California Edison
- Southern Company
Donors Benefactors ($10,000 – $24,999)
- Ameren
- Battelle
- Consumers Energy
- Dayton Power
- Exxon Mobile Corp.
- JEA
- National Grid
- Nicor
- Nuclear Energy Institute
Patrons ($2,500 – $9,999)
- Alabama Power
- American Gas Association
- Blue Diamond Ventures
- Bonneville Power Authority
- DTE Energy
- Entergy
- Georgia Power
- Gulf Coast Chapter
- Midwest ISO
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- SCANA
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- The Energy Authority
Leaders ($500- $2,499)
- Andrews Kurth LLC
- Atlanta Chapter
- Birmingham Chapter
- Centerpoint Energy
- Columbus Chapter
- EMC2
- EnerGreen Capital Management, LLC
- Indiana Chapter
- Kansas City Chapter
- Trice Construction
- Washington Gas
- Western Region AABE
- Wipro Technologies
990 Forms
Key People
Leadership
Board of Directors
| Name | 2001 | 2004 | 2006 | 2008 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Company |
| George Williams | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | PMI Energy Solutions | |
| Paul White | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | National Renewable Energy Laboratory | ||
| Ralph Cleveland | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Ced Group | ||
| Kevin Brookins | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Exelon/ComEd | ||||
| Lisa Cagnolatti | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Southern California Edison | ||||
| Lonnie Johnson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ExxonMobil | ||||
| Michael Suggs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Northern Indiana Public Service Company | ||||
| Richard Thigpen | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | PSEG | ||||
| Rose McKinney-James | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Energy Works Consulting, LLC& Associates. | ||||
| Telisa Toliver | Y | Y | Y | Y | Chevron Pipeline Company | |||||
| W. Noble Billingsley | Y | Y | Y | Y | Consumers Energy | |||||
| Rudolph Wynter, Jr. | Y | Y | Y | National Grid | ||||||
| Kevon Makell | Y | Y | SEWW Incorporated | |||||||
| Melvin Williams | Y | Y | Nicor Gas | |||||||
| Moanica Caston | Y | Y | Georgia Power Company | |||||||
| Wyman Winbush | Y | Y | IBM | |||||||
| David Wade | Y | Air BP | ||||||||
| Dwain Lanier | Y | Tennessee Valley Authority | ||||||||
| Melody Birmingham-Byrd | Y | Duke Indiana | ||||||||
| Milovan Blair | Y | Consolidated Edison of New York | ||||||||
| Morry C. Davis | Y | Red Tail Capital Markets, LLC | ||||||||
| Vicky Bailey | Y | BHMM Energy Services, LLC | ||||||||
| Carolyn L. Green | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Professional Environmental Engineers, LLC | |
| Hilda Pinnix-Ragland | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Duke Energy | |
| Joyce Hayes-Giles | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | DTE Energy (retired) | |
| Stephanie Hickman | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Trice Construction Company | ||||
| Morry Davis | Y | Y | Y | Y | Peabody Energy Corp. | |||||
| Sabrina V. Campbell | Y | Y | Y | Y | American Electric Power | |||||
| Wayonyi J. Kendrick | Y | Y | Y | Y | JEA | |||||
| David Owens | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Edison Electric Institute | ||||
| Warner Williams | Y | Y | Y | Y | Gulf of Mexico Business Unit (retired); Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company | |||||
| Frank Stewart | Y | Y | Y | Y | F.M. Stewart & Associates | |||||
| Bentina Chisolm Terry | Y | Y | Y | Gulf Power Company | ||||||
| Daniel Packer | Y | Y | Y | American Ethane Company | ||||||
| Rudolph Wynter | Y | National Grid | ||||||||
| Polly S. Rosemond | Y | Y | Y | Y | Entergy New Orleans, Inc. | |||||
| Wilton Cedeno | Y | Y | Y | Y | Consolidated Edison Company | |||||
| Tracie Boutte | Y | Y | Y | Y | New Orleans Entergy | |||||
| Frank Johnson | Y | Y | Y | Y | CMS Electric & Gas Co. | |||||
| Daniel F. Packer | Y | Y | Y | Y | Entergy Services, Inc. | |||||
| Robert L. Harris | Y | Y | Y | Pacific Gas and Electric Company | ||||||
| Marion R. Brackett | Y | Y | Y | KeySpan Energy | ||||||
| Rufus Gladney | Y | Y | Y | Consumers Energy | ||||||
| Charles Tinker | Y | Y | DTE Energy | |||||||
| Richard L. Holmes | Y | Y | Georgia Power Company | |||||||
| Robert Holmes | Y | Y | Alabama Power Company | |||||||
| Gerald Dawes | Y | American Gas Association | ||||||||
| LaDoris (Dot) Harris | Y | GE Energy | ||||||||
| Sonja Ebron | Y | Y | blackEnergy | |||||||
| Ulysses Rice | Y | Y | ||||||||
| Garry Harris | Y | HTS Enterprise, LLC | ||||||||
| George Lyons | Y | Exelon Corporation | ||||||||
| Colin Watson, Sr. | Y | Foundation Enterprises, LLC | ||||||||
| Berlinda Fontenot-Jamerson | Y | Y | Sempra Energy | |||||||
| Erskine E. Cade | Y | Y | Key Corporation | |||||||
| James K. Davis | Y | Y | Georgia Power Company | |||||||
| Paul Fant | Y | Y | South Carolina Pipeline Corp. | |||||||
| Barrett Hatches | Y | Y | Northern Indiana Public Service Co. | |||||||
| Rufus W. McKinney | Y | Y | Rufus McKinney & Associates | |||||||
| Herman Morris | Y | Y | Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division | |||||||
| Paula Jackson | Y | |||||||||
| Syl Morgan-Smith | Y | National Renewable Energy Lab | ||||||||
| Hiliary O. Shelton | Y | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People | ||||||||
| Rufus D. Gladney | Y | Consumers Energy | ||||||||
| Gwendolyn D. Prioleau | Y | Gwendolyn D. Prioleau, Chartered | ||||||||
| Leandra H. Abbott | Y | Consolidated Edison Company | ||||||||
| Herman S. Dorsey, Jr. | Y | Consolidated Edison Company | ||||||||
| Gilbert F. Ivey | Y | The Metropolitan Water District | ||||||||
| Bobbie Knight | Y | Alabama Power Company | ||||||||
| Bennie F. Paige | Y | Entergy Mississippi | ||||||||
| John R. Smith | Y | Public Service Electric & Gas | ||||||||
| Clarke R. Watson | Y | Watson Associates | ||||||||
| H.C. “Will” Williams | Y | ONEOK, Inc. |
AABE Staff
| Name | 2011 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Description |
| LaKeesha Wilson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Executive Assistant |
| Pauline St. Cyr | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Office Manager |
| Tracey Woods | Y | Y | Y | Y | Vice President Operations | |
| Felicia Kelly | Y | Y | Y | Membership Specialist | ||
| Paula R. Glover | Y | Y | President and CEO | |||
| D’An Hagan | Y | Director of Business Develpment | ||||
| Paula Jackson | Y | Y | Y | President and CEO | ||
| Marc Morgan | Y | Y | Vice President of Business Development | |||
| Sam Smoots | Y | Executive Director, AABE Institute | ||||
| Frank M. Stewart | Y | President and CEO |
Charter Presidents
| Name | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Chapter | Company |
| Andrea Pelt-Thornton | Y | Y | Y | FLORIDA | NextEra Energy/ Florida Power and Light |
| Bill Dickens | Y | Y | Y | PACIFIC NORTHWEST | Tacoma Power |
| Cliff DeBerry | Y | Y | Y | TENNESSEE | MLGW |
| Conrad Cole | Y | Y | Y | GATOR STUDENT CHAPTER | |
| Demetric Mercadel | Y | Y | Y | LOUISIANA | Entergy New Orleans, Inc. |
| Dr. Isaac Crumbly | Y | Y | Y | FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER | Fort Valley State University |
| Encoch McKie | Y | Y | Y | GEORGIA TECH STUDENT CHAPTER | |
| Eric Duncan | Y | Y | Y | SAVANNAH | Georgia Power Company |
| Eric Pickett | Y | Y | Y | GULF COAST | Gulf Power Company (FPC), One Energy Place |
| Fannie Posey-Eddy | Y | Y | Y | DENVER | |
| Jeffrey Hall | Y | Y | Y | CENTRAL SW LOUISIANA | CLECO |
| Jennefer Whisenhunt | Y | Y | Y | BIRMINGHAM | Southern Natural Gas |
| Jim Vickers, Jr. | Y | Y | Y | CINCINNATI | Business Technical Services |
| Joe McCormick IV | Y | Y | Y | OKLAHOMA | ONEOK Distribution |
| Lloyd Duggan | Y | Y | Y | CONNECTICUT | Yankee Gas Services Company |
| Luddy Hayden | Y | Y | Y | NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHAPTER | |
| Perry Bishop | Y | Y | Y | WISCONSIN | We-Energies |
| Terry L Malone | Y | Y | Y | NORTHEAST OHIO | Northeast Ohio AABE |
| Vida Hotchkiss | Y | Y | Y | MID–WEST REGION | Nicor Gas/ AGLR |
| Vyrone Cravanas | Y | Y | Y | EAST TENNESSEE | Equal Opportunity Compliance, AABE East Tennessee Chapter |
| William Suggs | Y | Y | Y | NEW YORK METROPOLITAN | Consolidated Edison Company of NY |
| Calvin Ledford Jr. | Y | Y | NEW JERSEY | PSE&G | |
| Carla Walker-Miller | Y | Y | MICHIGAN | Walker Miller Energy Services, LLC. | |
| Chris Odom | Y | Y | HOUSTON | Sanchez Oil & Gas, AABE Houston Chapter | |
| Crystal Williams-French | Y | Y | INDIANA | NiSource | |
| Debbie Lumpkin | Y | Y | CALIFORNIA | Lumpkin LLC | |
| Jeff Washington | Y | Y | VIRGINIA | Dominion Resources Services – OJRP | |
| Phyllis Batson | Y | Y | ALAMO REGION | CPS Energy | |
| Richard P. Johnson (Porter) | Y | Y | SOUTH CAROLINA | AABE – South Carolina Chapter | |
| Sheila A. Wright | Y | Y | ARKANSAS | AABE | |
| Sherri P. Pennington | Y | Y | PHILADELPHIA | Philadelphia Gas Works | |
| Stacey Barnes | Y | Y | SOUTH JERSEY | South Jersey Industries | |
| Thomas H. Graham | Y | Y | WASHINGTON DC METROPOLITAN | Pepco Holdings, Inc. | |
| Tony Wilkins | Y | Y | SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI/SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | Ameren Illinois | |
| Troy Clark | Y | Y | SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA | Golden Leaf Energy | |
| Valencia A. McClure | Y | Y | BALTIMORE | Exelon Corporation | |
| William Johnson | Y | Y | KANSAS–MISSOURI | Kansas City Board of Public Utilities | |
| Willie Palmer | Y | Y | ATLANTA | AABE | |
| Darnelle Henry | Y | TEXAS SOUTHERN UNV. CHAPTER | |||
| Jimmie Coins | Y | MISSISSIPPI | Atmos Energy | ||
| Leslie Palmore | Y | COLUMBUS | Ground Level Solutions | ||
| Shirell Harrison Burris | Y | NORTH CAROLINA | |||
| Terron Hill, Director | Y | Greater Boston Chapter | National Grid | ||
| Angela Montville | Y | Y | COLUMBUS | NiSource, Inc. | |
| Jean Jacobs | Y | Y | MISSISSIPPI | Entergy Mississippi Inc. | |
| LaQuisha Parks | Y | Y | NORTH CAROLINA | AABE NC Chapter | |
| Eddie Melton | Y | MID–WEST REGION | NIPSCO | ||
| Glenn Freeman | Y | ARKANSAS | Entergy | ||
| Rodney J. Russell | Y | ATLANTA | AABE-Atlanta Chapter; Georgia Power | ||
| Daniel Wallace | Y | BALTIMORE | BithEnergy | ||
| David Ford | Y | CALIFORNIA | Southern California Edison | ||
| Terry Stringer | Y | HOUSTON | AABE Houston | ||
| Rita Boyd | Y | KANSAS–MISSOURI | Kansas City Power & Light Co. | ||
| Darrell White | Y | MICHIGAN | DTE Energy | ||
| Derek Haley | Y | NEW JERSEY | PSE&G | ||
| Peter Singh | Y | PHILADELPHIA | PECO | ||
| Gerald K. Freeman | Y | SOUTH CAROLINA | AABE – South Carolina Chapter; SC Electric & Gas | ||
| John Raiford | Y | SOUTH JERSEY | South Jersey Gas | ||
| Brian K. Leonard, Sr. | Y | SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI/SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | Ameren Missouri | ||
| Drexel Harris | Y | VIRGINIA | Dominion Resources | ||
| Lisa Beal | Y | WASHINGTON DC METROPOLITAN | Interstate Natural Gas Association of America |
Regional Directors
| Name | 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Chapter | Company |
| Nancy Mifflin | Y | Y | Y | MID–ATLANTIC REGION | Enegy Sectors, CSC | ||
| Amanda Downey | Y | NORTHEAST REGION | National Grid | ||||
| Deidre Sanders | Y | WESTERN REGION | Pacific Gas and Electric | ||||
| LaQuisha Parks | Y | SOUTHEAST REGION | Duke Energy | ||||
| Marie Knox | Y | SOUTHWEST REGION | |||||
| Vida Hotchkiss | Y | MID–WEST REGION | Nicor Gas/ AGLR | ||||
| Afarah Board | Y | Y | Y | WESTERN REGION | Southern California Edison | ||
| Demetric Mercadel | Y | Y | LOUISIANA | Entergy New Orleans, Inc. | |||
| Eric Arnold | Y | Y | SOUTHEAST REGION | Georgia Power | |||
| Eddie Melton | Y | Y | MID–WEST REGION | NIPSCO | |||
| Willilam Suggs | Y | Y | NORTHEAST REGION | Consolidated Edison | |||
| Corlene Williams | Y | Y | SOUTHEAST REGION | Southern Natural Gas Pipeline Service Co. | |||
| W. Noble Billingsley | Y | Consumers Energy | |||||
| William Suggs | Y | NEW YORK METROPOLITAN | Consolidated Edison Company of NY | ||||
| Dianne P. Oliver | Y | MID–ATLANTIC REGION | National Council of Minorities in Energy | ||||
| Telisa N. Toliver | Y | SOUTHWEST REGION | Chevron Global Power Company | ||||
| Sabrina Campbell | Y | MID–ATLANTIC REGION | AEP | ||||
| Debra Smallwood | Y | MID–ATLANTIC REGION | Consolidated Edison | ||||
| Calvin Talley | Y | MID–WEST REGION | Consumers Energy | ||||
| Gilda Joseph | Y | SOUTHWEST REGION | Chevron Texaco Overseas Petroleum | ||||
| Kirsten Watts | Y | WESTERN REGION | Bonneville Power Administration | ||||
| Rodney O. Powell | Y | NORTHEAST REGION | Western Massachusetts Electric Co. |
Actions
March 21-24, 2017
The AABE 2017 National Conference attracted representatives from across the energy generation industry. AABE Speakers included representatives from Southern Company, Duke Energy, Cehvron, BP, ExxonMobil, and many others. Jack Gerard of the American Petroluem Institute was notably listed among the speakers list. [8]
One of the most notable sponsors of the conference is a group called Fueling U.S. Forward (FUSF), a group that has consistently worked to promote fossil fuels. The FUSF campaign was first noted in a February, 2016 investigative journalism piece in The Huffington Post that had trakced a $10-million-a-year effort by Koch Industries board member James Mahoney and Charles Drevna to “to boost petroleum-based transportation fuels and attack government subsidies for electric vehicles.” [9]
Fueling US Forward was a sponsor of two panels including a panel of “Women in Power” and another titled “Conversation with the C-Suite.” Other industry groups who sponsored panels at the event include: [10]
- Southern California Edison
- National Grid
- Duke Energy
- American Petroleum Institute (API)
- TransCanada
- PSE&G
- Con Edison
- BP
Below is a sample of attendees at the conference, sorted by energy company affiliation. View the attached spreadsheet for a full list of AABE attendees and Speakers, as of March 17, 2017 (xlsx). [11]
| Company | Representatives at Conference (Approximate #) |
| Exelon | 75 |
| National Grid | 27 |
| Dominion | 27 |
| NiSource | 19 |
| Duke Energy | 19 |
| Consolidated Edison | 18 |
| Chevron | 17 |
| Pepco Holdings | 16 |
| Southern Company | 16 |
| Georgia Power | 16 |
| Ameren | 15 |
| Tennessee Valley Authority | 9 |
| CPS Energy | 9 |
| Constellation Energy | 9 |
| PJM | 8 |
| Consumers Energy | 7 |
| Entergy | 7 |
| Public Service Electric & Gas | 7 |
| BGE | 6 |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Company | 6 |
| Bonneville Power Administration | 6 |
| Burns & McDonnell | 6 |
| JEA | 6 |
Other notable companies represented by attendees at the conference include American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), BP, TransCanada, and the American Petroleum Institute (API).
June 2016
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) reports that The American Association of Blacks in Energy was among a range of groups listed in bankruptcy documents released by Peabody Coal. [12]
The documents “demonstrate for the first time that Peabody Energy has financial ties to a very large proportion of the network of groups promoting disinformation around climate change,” CMD reported. [12]
February 26-27, 2015
Partnering with HIE (Hispanics in Energy), AABE hosted the “2015 Energy Policy Summit” in Washington, DC. [13]
According to the description on the HIE website, the outcome of the summit would be a “post-summit report to be shared with key legislators, policy officials and the administration.” [14]
January 31–February 1, 2013
AABE held a policy summit at the Heritage Center of the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. According to the event description, the summit “focused on three significant economic factors facing underserved communities — mitigation of rising energy costs, increasing opportunities for minority-owned small business and new jobs creation. [15]
View the final report of the AABE‘s 2013 summit here (PDF). [16]
Summit Sponsors, listed in the post-summit report, included the following:
- American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
- American Electric and Power
- American Gas Association
- American Petroleum Institute
- Chevron
- Duke Energy
- Edison Electric Institute
- Edison International
- McGuireWoods LLP
- Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation
- Pepco
- Southern California Gas Company
- Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP
January 28, 2010
AABE held an event, with its partners, titled “Energy and Climate Change Summit: Implications and Economic Opportunities.” [17]
According to a report summarizing the comments and discussion at the conference, the summit’s primary subject was “Protecting and creating opportunities for ‘low- and fixed-income communities and people of color’, and advocating on behalf of the interests of vulnerable communities.” [17]
The conference attracted “100 of the nation’s leading organizations representing civil rights and nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s)” with attendees including House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn; Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, and Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy; and Chris Miller, Senior Policy Advisor, Energy and the Environment, Office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. [17]
Summit organizers were listed as follows: [17]
- AABE
- Eco-Capitol Policy Group, LLC
- The Edison Electric Institute
- Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Summit Sponsors listed included: [17]
- AABE
- American Electric Power
- American Gas Association
- Bonneville Power Administration
- Consumers Energy
- Edison Electric Institute
- General Electric
- Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
- Nuclear Energy Institute
- Peabody Energy
- Progress Energy
- Southern Company
The event led to a draft “Statement of Principles for Energy and Climate Change Policy.” The statement suggested “any energy and climate program must include” the following: [17]
- “Measures to reduce and mitigate the impact of costs on low- and fixed-income consumers;
- “Policies that create jobs and ensure small business opportunities for minorities in the energy and clean technology sectors, including federal and state incentives and requirements to promote diversity in hiring, procurement, contracting and access to capital.
- “Education and training programs to prepare minorities for careers and business ownership in the array of services and technologies necessary to develop and deliver cleaner, more diverse, domestic energy sources.
- “Public awareness and outreach initiatives aimed at developing energy efficiency and conservation programs for minority and low- and fixed-income communities, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
- “Resources and incentives for vulnerable communities to help them adapt to climate change impacts and transition to lower-carbon economies, while ensuring environmental justice protections.”
February 2004
AABE released a report titled “Energy, Economics, and the Environment: Effects of African Americans” (PDF), prepared by Redefining Progress. [4]
According to the report’s executive summary, “ African Americans are significantly more vulnerable than the general population to several factors.” Climate change is among factors listed, as the report says that “African Americans are likely to be more significantly affected by some of the detrimental health effects of global climate change such as the increased incidence of heat-related deaths or possibly some communicable diseases.” [4]
The report lists “ Potential Environmental and Health Effects of the Oil Industry,” listing “Global warming and extreme weather events, with associated impacts on agriculture, infrastructure, and human health” as an impact of the “combustion” stage of fossil fuels. [4]
Related Organizations
AABE maintains state chapters across the United States. [20]
Prominent board members of AABE represent a range of energy companies. In its 2010 conference, AABE made mention of its partners, “the Stakeholders,” however did not outline specifically who those stakeholders were. [17]
Contact & Address
As of March, 2017, AABE listed the following contact information on their website: [18]
1625 K St. NW, Ste. 405
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 371-9530
(202) 371-9218
[email protected]
Social Media
- American Association of Blacks in Energy (@AABENational) on Facebook.
- American Association of Blacks in Energy on LinkedIn.
- AABE (@_AABE) on Twitter.
Resources
- “American Association of Blacks in Energy Biennial Report 2009/2010” (PDF), AABE. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- “AABE Climate Change Principles” (PDF), American Association of Blacks in Energy. Document created February 11, 2008. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- “AABE Climate Change Principles” (.doc), April, 2013. Retrieved from aabe.org. Archived .doc on file at Desmog.
- “Energy, Economics, and the Environment: Effects on African Americans” (PDF), AABE and Redefining Progress. Retrieved from AABE.org. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
- “American Association of Blacks in Energy,” Conservative Transparency. Archived March 17, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/8FNHI
- “About Us,” The American Association of Blacks in Energy. Archived March 21, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Xs3NS
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