Lump of coal a good thing, group believes

A group that promotes coal as an energy source wants to put a new spin on what it means to get a lump of the stuff in your stocking.

Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) is sending 30 Santas to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to deliver stockings filled with coal-shaped chocolate.

{mosads}The goal of the campaign is to shift coal’s image as a key contributor to global warming to a relatively cheap and increasingly clean provider of electricity. With supplies sufficient to turn the lights on for another 250 Christmases, coal should remain a mainstay of power generation, ABEC believes.

“We need to understand that coal needs to be an important part of a balanced strategy to provide energy that is efficient and secure, keeps the economy healthy and protects the environment,” ABEC executive director Joe Lucas said in a statement.