When Governor Hickenlooper announced he was going to sign the electric rate raising bill SB252, designed as a payback to green energy interests, it was a surprise to Republicans and the press. But it didn’t appear to be a surprise to the enviro movement — they had ads thanking the governor allegedly running before the bill was signed and an online campaign already queued up.

A reader tells Colorado Peak Politics that they heard a radio ad thanking Governor Hickenlooper for making “SB252 the law of the land” on 850KOA on Wednesday morning. Hick didn’t sign the bill until mid-day. Guess someone jumped the gun a bit on placing those ads.

Liberal blog Colorado Pols also gave us a hint of the tip-off by publishing parts of the ad campaign by enviro shills Conservation Colorado thanking Hick for the payback only a day after the bill signing. Clearly it was created ahead of the bill’s signing.

While this is pretty much politics as usual — a special interest thanking a politician for doing their bidding — the seeming coordination makes it a little more interesting.

Either Hickenlooper tipped off the enviros so they could have a paid media campaign ready to praise the governor, or the enviros told Hickenlooper they’d have an ad campaign ready to go should he sign the bill. Doesn’t that violate ethics laws, if not in letter then in spirit?