On April 15, The State News ran an editorial titled "Relax, Eco," in which we told MSU's student environmental group to be happy that the Simon Power Plant was converting to natural gas.

The group campaigned last year to get the university to consider renewable energy options, and in our editorial Thursday, we told its members to stop complaining and to see the upside of the situation. We were wrong, in more ways than one.

The Simon Power Plant, which supplies electricity to campus, is not converting to natural gas. It's adding natural gas. The $30 million expansion will allow the plant to produce energy using natural gas in addition to the coal it already burns.

Furthermore, Eco members were not complaining or "refusing to see the upside of the situation." The group was participating in a forum to discuss the power plant's expansion.

Students, faculty and energy specialists were on hand for the event. We have always and always will always support a community's desire to discuss a controversial or pressing issue.

Here's Eco Coordinator Amy Gregory in the April 14 edition of The State News: "We're just trying to find the best choices for the MSU campus and get those ideas out there." Sounds fine to us.

We as an editorial board didn't spend enough time considering this issue, plain and simple. We jumped to conclusions before we knew the facts - a sin for which we must atone.

It goes without saying that we hope the administration explores ways to be frugal with power, both environmentally and economically. We also hope Eco members and those who campaign on behalf of the environment take progress little by little and work toward an ideal solution.

Eco, for now, you're just fine by us. When we're wrong, it behooves us to point it out and make clear the record.

The State News editorial boardmembers are human, too, and while that doesn't excuse our mistake, we hope it allows you to forgive it.