American Conservation Coalition

American Conservation Coalition
EstablishedJune 2017; 7 years ago (2017-06)
TypeNonprofit
HeadquartersAppleton, Wisconsin, US
Region served
United States
Key people
Benji Backer (Founder & Executive Chairman)

Danielle Butcher Franz (CEO) Christopher Barnard (President)

Stephen Perkins (COO)
Websiteacc.eco

The American Conservation Coalition (ACC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental advocacy organization focusing on limited-government, conservative[1] approaches to environmental issues. The group was founded in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 2017.

History

ACC was founded by Benji Backer in 2017[2] with the goal to add conservative voices to environmental conversations. However, since its founding, ACC has evolved to advocate for legislation at the federal level and educate students on environmental issues.[3][4] In 2023, it was announced that Backer would step down as president of the organization, transitioning into a chairmanship role. Danielle Butcher Franz was announced as successor, assuming the role of CEO. Other key figures include Chris Barnard as president and Stephen Perkins as COO.[5][non-primary source needed]

Issue advocacy

ACC advocates for land and wildlife conservation, developments in clean energy and emission-reducing technology like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and other free-market environmental policies. ACC supports the development and deployment of nuclear energy, renewable energy, biomass, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power; the ACC also supports the use of natural gas as a relatively low-carbon fuel during a transition phase away from higher carbon sources.[6]

In 2022, ACC released The Climate Commitment. The policy framework advocates for climate change-related policies with bipartisan support, existing climate and environmental legislation in Congress, and free market principles.[7][non-primary source needed]

References

  1. ^ Meet the Republicans devoted to fighting climate change - CNN Video, retrieved 2020-05-05
  2. ^ "Meet the 21-year-old conservative spreading a message about climate change". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  3. ^ "American Conservation Coalition (ACC)". www.influencewatch.org. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  4. ^ "American Conservation Coalition". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  5. ^ Benji Backer [@BenjiBacker] (1 June 2023). "After pouring my heart and soul into this movement for seven years, I am stepping back as President of @ACC_National — and beginning a transition into my new role as Executive Chairman" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 June 2023 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Platform". ACC. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Backer, Benji (2023-04-06). "Appleton native outlines 6 steps Wisconsin can take for climate action". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
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