An organization with members which rely on coal to purchase electricity is being touted as a valued part of America’s energy mix. Spokesman Joe Lucas with Americans for Balanced Energy Choices says coal has gotten a bad rap over the years. He says it burns clean these days, much cleaner than 30 years ago, and costs less than other energy sources, such as natural gas. The group has produced a study which has disclosed that the rising cost of energy has had a profound impact on the average American household. The study claims that Missourians with incomes of $10,000 a year or less spend nearly half of that income on paying heating bills and filling the car with gas. Lucas says coal is a cheap form of energy that is in abundant supply in America. Many of the members of Americans for Balance Energy Choices are utilities that produce energy at their coal-fire power plants.