Environmental Groups to Dems: No Coal in Ex-Im Reauthorization

Congress is tied up in a debate over whether or not to reauthorize funding for a federal agency that most people have never heard of -- the Export-Import Bank.  One of the biggest sticking points might end up being the bank's policy on financing coal-fired power plants abroad.

The purpose of the Export-Import Bank, or Ex-Im, is to promote the export of American goods and services by providing loans to projects overseas that will make use of them.  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) wants to attach an amendment blocking a policy issued by the bank last year that bars funding for most coal plants.  On Thursday the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth said they would inform lawmakers of their opposition to the reauthorization bill if it comes with Manchin's pro-coal language.

The Sierra Club is calling for "no dirty reauthorization," said Justin Guay, associate director of the international climate program at the Sierra Club.  The groups plan to send a letter on Thursday to Senate Democrats and to President Barack Obama, urging them not to sign off on reauthorization if it include Manchin's measure.

If Congress passes this exemption for foreign plants, it will reinforce America's role as one of the world's biggest public financers of coal, even as organizations like the World Bank have cut funding for such projects.

Environmental Groups to Dems: &No Coal in Ex-Im Reauthorization