Apparently, an electric utility has offered Kansas State $2.5 million on the condition that the state government reconsider and approve two new coal-fired power plants. The utility — Sunflower Electric Power Corp. — says that the money is for energy research, and will be paid over a 10-year period. They say it’s not a bribe, but that funds simply won’t be available if the new plants aren’t approved. Right.

Sunflower is a large electric co-op. That being true, it’s either in the co-op members’ interests to invest $250K annually in energy research, or it’s not. How many plants they own, or how much externally generated power they have to buy, doesn’t really figure into that equation. It’s the same number of dollars coming out of exactly the same member pockets either way. So run this one by me again?

Meanwhile, for those of you who deal with students — directly or in-, curricularly or co- — the very same K State has come up with a powerful new video that speaks to how to reach the current generation of students. I need to reach them to effect sustainability initiatives. If you need to reach them, too, it’s definitely worth five minutes of your time.