Tweet [3]

[4] [5]

blog-feature-2757.jpg [6]

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.

According to the report, the KAE received $145,400 in total contributions. Of that amount, $120,000 came from the world’s largest coal company, [7] Peabody Energy and another $25,000 came from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation. [8] In other words, all but $400 of the money provided to this group of Kansans “concerned” about “affordable energy” came from Big King Coal.

An astroturf group [9] if there ever was one.

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.

According to the report, the KAE received $145,400 in total contributions. Of that amount, $120,000 came from the world’s largest coal company, [7] Peabody Energy and another $25,000 came from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation. [8] In other words, all but $400 of the money provided to this group of Kansans “concerned” about “affordable energy” came from Big King Coal.

An astroturf group [9] if there ever was one.

You might remember the November, 2007 story [10] about an organization calling itself “Kansans for Affordable Energy” (KAE).

In a nutshell:

Shortly after the Kansas Heath Board turned down and application for the expansion of a coal-electricity plant, the KAE ran state-wide ads claiming that Venezualean leader Hugo Chavez, Russian President Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [11], were smiling because canceling the coal plant expansion plan would mean increased natural gas imports from their countries.

The KAE forgot to mention that two-thirds of natural gas imports to Kansas come from Canada. They also forgot to mention that their ad campaign was bought and paid for [10] by coal-giant Peabody Energy and Sunflower Electric Power Corp. (the company who lost the Kansas expansion bid).

Presumably, the idea behind the KAE advertising these ads, as opposed to the coal companies was to create an image of “concerned citizens,” as opposed to “concerned multi-national coal giant.” Instead, all sides in this little PR spin campaign end up looking bad and the people of Kansas should be outraged at Peabody, Sunflower and the KAE for this blatant attempt to deceive.

[12]