Fighting Dirty In The Battle Against Coal?

Now, we've talked California's recent ban on coal-fired power to death, but things just seem to keep getting tougher for coal.

A week or so ago on American Idol, curmudgeonly judge Simon Cowell gave some showbiz advice to an effervescent young woman trying to be supportive of her best friend who had just flubbed her audition: "When someone is down, kick them!"

The natural gas industry has apparently taken this to heart, putting much maligned coal interests in its sites-- and they've turned to a Hollywood ad agency to do the kicking!

A "coalition" that goes by the suspicious name the "Texas Clean Sky Coaltion" has been piling on the coal industry in Texas, running full page ads in major newspapers depicting soot-smudged men, women and children, bashing coal and opposing new coal-fired plants.

The Austin American Statesman reports today that the coalition is apparently a front group for the natural gas industry and that this Texas-sized campaign ($1 million!) is being run out of Los Angeles by Republican media firm Strategic Perception (a quick Google search reveals that Strategic Perception just signed on with the John McCain presidential campaign in January...).

According to the American Statesman:

"The campaign has cost "north of a million dollars," according to Fred Davis III, the head of Hollywood agency Strategic Perception, which put the campaign together. The photos were shot in a Southern California studio, he said. "

"Shot in a Southen California studio????" First the moon landing, now this! It's enough to make you cynical...

Gas companies are big spenders on anti-coal ads [Austin American Statesman]