American Energy Action (AEA)

Background and Activities

American Energy Action (AEA) was formed in collaboration with the American Wind Energy Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing wind-power project developers, suppliers, manufacturers, and others involved in the wind-energy industry. AEA was developed as an independent advocacy organization to represent the wider weather-dependent energy industry. ²

AEA lobbies elected officials and policy makers in support of weather-based energy, including wind and solar energy. AEA directly engages in campaigns to shift legislative votes by targeting current lawmakers and government officials; conducting issue advocacy campaigns in in federal, congressional, and state legislative races; and promoting grassroots organizing. AEA also conducts public education campaigns to inform voters of their representatives’ positions on weather-based energy on both the state and federal level. ¹

Beginning in 2022, AEA supported the Biden administration’s weather-dependent energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act, including by crafting messaging on the specific benefits of taxpayer-funded weather-dependent energy funding for specific states like New York, Nevada, and Colorado. ³

In 2021, AEA launched the “Truth Texas Power” campaign, a series of ads designed to convince Texans to support weather-based energy. The ads promote the level of investment green energy companies have made in rural Texas, highlight the number of green energy jobs created through these investments, and argue that green energy supports ranchers by providing additional income on their land. ⁴

In 2017, AEA launched a pro-wind energy campaign to convince then-President Donald Trump and Congress of the benefits of wind power for rural areas. Through the campaign, AEA ran a series of TV, radio, and digital ads in Washington, D.C. AEA claims the campaign cost millions of dollars and ran over multiple months. ⁵

Leadership

American Energy Action (AEA) is led by a board of directors consisting of Philip Musser, JC Sandberg, Tom Starrs, and Sarah Webster. ^{1 6}

Philip Musser is the senior vice president of government affairs for green energy company NextEra Energy. Musser formerly worked as the senior vice president and chief communications officer of aerospace corporation Boeing. ^{7 6}

JC Sandberg is the chief policy officer of trade group American Clean Power Association. Previously, Sandberg worked as the chief global affairs officer at GE Renewable Energy. ^{8 6}

Tom Starrs is the vice president of government affairs for energy company EDP Renewables North America. ^{9 6}

Sarah Webster is the senior vice president of External Affairs & Market Development for energy storage company Pattern Energy. ^{10 6}

Grantmaking

In 2021, American Energy Action (AEA) gave $250,000 in grants to Solar Energy Industries Association, ¹¹ a weather-dependent energy advocacy group, as well as $100,000 to the Senate Opportunity Fund, ¹² a right-of-center research and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. ¹³

Financials

According to its 2023 990 form, American Energy Action (AEA) reported a revenue of $4,745,000, expenses of $3,085,454, and total assets of $2,056,278 ¹⁴

Between 2019 and 2021, AEA received $1,000,000 from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization that often operates alongside its charitable “sister” nonprofit New Venture Fund, which provides similar funding and fiscal sponsorship services to center-left organizations. Both groups are administered by Arabella Advisors, a Washington, D.C.-based philanthropy consulting firm that caters to left-leaning clients. ^{15  16}

Affiliated Organizations

American Energy Action (AEA) Colorado is the Colorado-based affiliated political action committee of American Energy Action. AEA also supports the American Energy Action Fund, ¹³ a political action committee that raised $650,000 and spent $638,244 from 2019 to 2020. ¹⁷