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Sierra Club makes groundbreaking deal with Midwest utility

If a groundbreaking deal between an electric company and the Sierra Club is any indication, we can all get along. Aww. The green group has agreed to quit a six-year campaign against a new Missouri coal plant being built by Kansas City Power & Light; in return, the utility will cut 6 million tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions, which is the amount the new plant will spew. To hold up its end of the deal, KCP&L will purchase hundreds of windmills, encourage energy efficiency, reduce overall CO2 emissions 20 percent by 2020, slash sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, establish net metering, and upgrade or close currently running coal plants. Not to be outdone, the Sierra Club will also drop a pending challenge that accuses an existing KCP&L plant of violating the Clean Air Act. The legally binding contract between the groups "can serve as a model for environmental groups and utilities working together," says a joint statement. We feel all warm and fuzzy now.