Greenwash Watch: Kansans for Affordable Energy
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 11. 7.07
King Coal got a shock when the State of Kansas rejected two 700MW coal-fired power plants; Roderick L. Bremby, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said "I believe it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing. " Dave Roberts at Grist bubbles: "This is the first time a coal plant air permit application has ever been denied on the basis of CO2 emissions. "
The King was sorely vexed, and founded "Kansans for Affordable Energy" to run ads that say that these men are smiling “Because the recent decision by the Sebelius Administration means Kansas will import more natural gas from countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran.” Dave Roberts notes again “Nothing like a little overt xenophobia to liven up the energy debate.”
It is not really greenwashing; we need a new term for wrapping coal in the American flag and creating a straw man called "energy security" as an alternative to trying to "stop global warming" when in fact you should get two for the price of one. ::Dot Earth
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I as a Kansan, am afraid we are in for a long court battle on this....
"we need a new term for wrapping coal in the American flag "
ermm...how about "Getting the flag dirty?"
or for people who like TLAs:
D.O.G. ("Dirty Old Glory")
"It is not really greenwashing; we need a new term for wrapping coal in the American flag and creating a straw man called "energy security" as an alternative to trying to "stop global warming" when in fact you should get two for the price of one."
Okay, how about:
RWB washing (red, white & blue washing)
or
Blackwatering down the issue
Thank you, Kansas!!!!
The natural gasso-fascists will stop at nothing to destroy clean, pure, friend of the downtrodden Lady Coal. A vote for clean air is a vote for the terrorists. We won't be safe from the enemies of freedom until the entire planet is a desert or underwater. And if that doesn't convince you: 911, 911, 911 . . .
BTW, 84% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. is produced in the U.S., and Canada accounts for most U.S. natural gas imports because natural gas is generally cheaper to transport via pipeline, and Canada has an extensive and growing gas pipeline system that is integrated with the U.S. system.
So . . . maybe it's the Canadians we need to watch out for ;) I've got my eye on you, Stephen Harper. There better not be any funny business now that they're not going to build another coal plant in Kansas.
Wait, I just realized something! It's not Russia, Venezuala and Iran (via their accomplice Canada who actually sells the U.S. most of its imported natural gas) that we have to worry about. It's the Danes. Why didn't I see it before? How could I have been so blind? They generate 20 percent of their energy with windmills. And where else is it windy? You saw the Wizard of Oz, right? Kansas is ripe for developing new wind energy. Westar, a local utility there, recently unveiled a new project to build some large wind farms in Kansas. Of course it was the Danes who put Westar up to this. They are the ones that stand to profit (and naturally use that profit to take over the free world) by exporting their proven wind technology to Kansas.
The only measure I can think of that is powerful enough to stop them is to rename the Danish. From now on, please refer to it as the "Freedom Pastry." Also, please call Great Danes "Freedom Pups", stop chewing Copenhagen tobacco, and IMMEDIATELY discontinue reading Hamlet and any other classical plays or literature that are entirely or partially set in Denmark. Thank you for your support.
Boy, do I feel embarrassed for accusing the Canadians and Danes of being part of the anti-coal conspiracy. I just read an article on treehugger.com (the online political wing of the gasso-fascist movement intent on destroying the world with clean air), and it directed me to the true culprit here: Hillary Clinton.
If I'm reading the article correctly, which I'm not (because I don't read, I just talk and type), she apparently has yet to confirm that coal is the key to ensuring that truth, justice and the American way will prevail in the post-global warming world that is either a giant desert (or is it dessert -- I can never remember) or completely underwater. Why don't the other candidates ever bring that up. "You say you are for freedom, Mrs. Clinton, but you can't be for Lady Liberty and against Lady Coal." It's a slam dunk, show stopping sound byte to victory.
Wait . . . what's that? You say George W. Bush supports clean coal, and the plant that was going to be built in Kansas wasn't a clean coal plant. Nooooooooooooo!!!!!! He's against the plant too!!!!! It's always the people closest to you that end up betraying you, isn't it Lady C.?
Okay, so I think I finally got it figured out. The people and countries we have to worry about, starting with the biggest threat to freedom in Kansas, are: George W. Bush . . . and Russia, Venezuala, Iran, Canada, Denmark and Hillary Clinton tied for second.
When I read this ad in my local paper I was shocked. First off Kansas produced enough natural gas to provide for it's own needs. Second, America doesn't import natural gas from these three countries (the coal industry failed to note that we have an embargo on Iran).
Another claim the ad made was that coal was a clean source of energy. If you ignore the carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and mercury it gets a lot cleaner.
Thankfully the ad has been ripped apart by the editors and letter writers in the paper so it worked against the coal industry.