Kansas coal kings have set up another front group to fight back against an October decision to block construction of two coal-fired electricity generators.

The Alliance for Sound Energy Policy advertises itself as “a statewide, non-partisan organization committed to balancing our growing energy needs with environmental stewardship.”

But there are no “environmental stewards” on its list of members, and its slick website is registered directly to Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, the failed proponent of the canceled power plants.

This is the second time that coal interests, including Sunflower, have launched an Astroturf group to fight the October decision. In early November 2007, a group calling itself “Kansans for Affordable Energy” ran a series of expensive and outrageous ads, suggesting that Kansas legislators were playing into the hands of people like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

But the Washington Post quickly discovered that the ads had been purchased by Sunflower and by coal giant Peabody Coal.

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