DeSmogBlog has just received the 2007 statement of political expenditures for a recently formed astroturf group calling themselves “Kansans for Affordable Energy” (KAE).
The document is attached to the end of this post.
Desperate times, call for desperate arguments.
In a last ditch bid to build two new coal plants in Kansas, Larry Powell (R- Garden City) is making the argument that the new coal plants would be in fact good for local crops.
To prove his point, Powell points to a report written by longtime climate cranks Craig and Keith Idso of the Arizona-based Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Climate Change.
Things are getting a little silly in Kansas after a recent decision by the state government to not allow a proposed expansion of a coal-fired electrical generation plant to go ahead.
First we had a "concerned citizens " group pop up calling themselves "Kansans for Affordable Energy." The KAE ran ads claiming that by not allowing the expanded coal facility it would somehow open the doors to foreign natural gas exporting countries like Venezuala, Iran and Russia. The ad featured photos of Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Vladamir Putin with caption "Why are these men smiling."
Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.
There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.
