Americans for American Energy today announced its strong support for a new Utah group dedicated to supporting public policies that would ensure a reliable and affordable supply of energy in the state.

The Congress of Racial Equality, in a press conference today at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City, announced the launch of Utah Consumers For Affordable Energy, a nonprofit organization that will "help consumers speak out and rally against public policies that would restrict the supply and/or raise the cost of energy in Utah."

Niger Innis, national spokesperson for CORE - one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the United States - said the group would work to "educate policymakers on the disproportionate, negative impact" that anti-energy policies "will have on Utah's poor and working-class families."

"This initiative highlights the importance of domestic production to ensure a continued affordable supply of natural gas, oil, and other energy," said Greg Schnacke, President and CEO of Americans for American Energy, a group dedicated to supporting development of U.S. energy resources to further energy independence, bolster national security, and help consumers by keeping energy affordable. "This group will look out for the people most at risk from higher energy prices. We must develop more of the resources we already have in the United States if we are to keep energy prices in check."

Innis said that environmental activists in Utah are "working feverishly" to push the energy industry out of the state, with some smaller companies already gone and others at risk of shutting down.

"By pushing for higher taxes, burdensome new regulations and more land restrictions on energy producers, these environmental elitists are trying to constrict the supply of energy in Utah in order to force Utah citizens to adopt a lower standard of living," Innis said. "Unfortunately, it will be Utah's poor and fixed-income families who will suffer the most if these elitists succeed."

CORE expects to launch similar initiatives in other states in the coming weeks. A press conference to announce Colorado Consumers For Affordable Energy was held Tuesday at the State Capitol in Denver.

Utah Consumers For Affordable Energy is run by a board of directors comprised of Utah citizens who care deeply about energy issues, particularly as they relate to domestic production, cost and supply. It will operate as a 501(c)4 tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations. As with other tax-exempt groups, such as the Sierra Club, it does not disclose its funding sources.