A well-funded San Francisco not-for-profit that backs green energy projects has engaged D.C. PR support for President Barack Obama's nominee for the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Binz
Binz
The unusual PR move is seen as necessary by the group, the Green Tech Action Fund, as Obama's choice of Ron Binz to chair FERC has sparked opposition over climate change.

GTAF is working with VennSquared Communications, the firm of Democratic PR adviser and former Senate aide Michael Meehan which has outposts in Silicon Valley and Seattle. The group said its campaign in support of Binz' nomination is not coordinating with the nominee.

Bloomberg noted GTAF had nearly $100M in revenue in 2001 and is backed by hedge fund titan Tom Steyer.

Binz is the former char of Colorado's Public Utilities Commission and is drawing opposition from the coal industry for his clean air agenda in the Centennial State. A Wall Street Journal editorial July 29 blasted Binz as the "most important and radical Obama nominee you've never heard of," suggesting his term at FERC would exceed the agency's power in a bid to crack down on energy companies in favor of curbing climate change.

Another WSJ editorial on Aug. 28 blasted GTAF's hiring of PR support: "We couldn't find anyone who could think of a similar executive branch precedent, at least for an agency as obscure as FERC."