In the wake of fierce objections from Rep. Nick Rahall and Sen. Robert C. Byrd, both D-WV, a series of anti-coal advertisements - which have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications, as well as on the sides of transit buses in the nation's capital - have been pulled.

"I am pleased that this misleading ad campaign has come to a quick end, but I still have concerns about both the despicable stereotypes depicted in these ads and the stealth method used to promote them," Rahall said.

The ads, featuring faces smudged with black makeup to resemble coal, were part of a "Coal Is Filthy" campaign underwritten by a coalition founded by Chesapeake Energy Corp, a natural gas company headquartered in Oklahoma City.

"This was not merely the case of a company using advertising to gain an edge over competitors. This company concocted a coalition with a name evoking environmental stewardship and hid behind the reputations of other groups that have publicly denied any connection to the effort," Rahall said. "They got caught, and they have had to clean up their act."

Rahall, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, slammed the ads and Chesapeake Energy on the House floor on Tuesday.

Rahall's remarks on the House floor follow:

"Mr. Speaker...over the last few weeks, a series of anti-coal advertisements sponsored by a group called the Clean Sky Coalition have been running in prominent publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other publications that we in this body come to rely upon each day and view each day. These ads feature photos of people whose faces are smeared with coal dust and the headline reads, 'Face It, Coal Is Filthy.' Indeed, there have been bumper sticker handouts on the streets of Washington, DC, stating that same phrase.

"But the real filthy secret here is that the people depicted in these ads are not our Nation's coal miners but they are Hollywood models, and the ads are not being financed by environmental groups as one might be led to believe by the title of Clean Sky Coalition but, rather, these ads are primarily being financed by elements of the natural gas industry, including Chesapeake Energy Corporation headquartered in Oklahoma City. These ads are despicable and so is this so-called Clean Sky Coalition. The sponsors are not being truthful and they would have you to believe that it is merely environmental groups leading this campaign. The filthy secret is that this ad campaign is about market share. It's about profits. It's about one segment of the energy industry trying to bamboozle the general public and policymakers to sell more of its product.

"And the filthy secret is that these ads completely ignore the tremendous progress being made to burn coal cleanly and ignore the national security interests of this country. The only truth here is that these ads are an insult, an absolute insult to the hardworking men and women who go beneath this Nation's bowels each and every day to produce the energy that provides for this Nation's electricity."