By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

It looks as thought the great Sunflower standoff has ended in Kansas.

Gov. Mark Parkinson and Sunflower Electric Power Corp. President Earl Watkins announced today an agreement that enables the electric company to build one coal-fired plant in Western Kansas. Sunflower drops its plans to build a second coal plant, and agrees to begin work on a 179-megawatt wind farm. The electric company also has agreed to what the governor called "an unprecedented level of carbon mitigation," meaning pollution control measures.

Assuming Sunflower holds up its end of the bargain, this is a pragmatic deal for Kansas. The state avoids expensive litigation and Republicans in the Legislature can stop holding energy measures hostage to approval of the coal plant.

Parkinson really wants to be known as an energy governor. He wouldn't have cut the deal if thought it would tag Kansas as following a dark-ages policy.

Would this deal have worked if Sebelius was still on the job? Don't know, but the change of scenery in the governor's office seems to have invigorated Topeka, at least for the moment.