The coal industry wants Republican George Allen back in the U.S. Senate.

At least that's what campaign finance reports seem to indicate, with mining and energy companies among Allen's most generous donors. In contrast they have given little, if anything, to his Democratic rival, former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, according to a review of Federal Election Commission records and the Center for Responsive Politics.

The National Mining Association donated at least $2,500 late last year to the Allen campaign through the group's two political action committees -- COALPAC and MINEPAC. The Center for Responsive Politics says Allen has received more than $70,000 connected to mining for his Senate bid.

Individual companies are also opening their wallets. CONSOL Energy Inc. gave Allen $2,500 last March. Murray Energy Corp., a major source of coal industry donations, gave him $5,000 at around the same time. In fact, the CRP says Allen has received more than $18,000 connected to Murray.

Karen Hult, a political science professor at Virginia Tech University, said she is not surprised by the industry's generous donations. "He's a Republican candidate," she said in an interview. "That would be expected in the Virginia partisan political environment."

What is of note is the extent of Allen's relationship with energy companies. After leaving the Senate in 2007 in the wake of his defeat by Democrat Jim Webb, Allen formed George Allen Strategies LLC. The consulting firm touts its ability to help clients "navigate the waters inside -- and outside -- the Beltway."

While Allen is not a registered lobbyist, financial disclosure forms show income from consulting services to coal mining giants Alpha Natural Resources Inc., Peabody Energy Corp., the Ohio Coal Association and a group called American Energy Freedom Center. Overall, the former senator -- who also served as governor in the 1990s -- reported $347,787 in income from George Allen Strategies.

Some of Allen's consulting work is connected to past or current donations. Alpha CEO Kevin Crutchfield, a frequent donor to political candidates, gave Allen at least $5,000 last year. And records show Peabody head Gregory Boyce gave Allen several thousand dollars in 2006.

Allen has long been a supporter of the energy industry and a headache for environmentalists wanting a quicker transition away from fossil fuels. During the 2006 campaign, the League of Conservation Voters put Allen on its "dirty dozen" list. The group has given him a lifetime score of 1 percent for his voting record, including his support for the GOP-backed Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The bill included funding for clean coal technology and other provisions that opponents called giveaways to big energy companies. LCV President Gene Karpinski said it was "arguably the most anti-environmental legislation to come out of Congress in a generation."

Now Allen is on board with most of his Republican colleagues in running against the Obama administration's increased environmental oversight of the energy industry, including coal mining and coal-fired power plants. Allen's "Blueprint for America's Comeback" calls for reining-in U.S. EPA and greenhouse gas emission limits.

"We have plentiful reserves of coal, we are finding more natural gas from shale and we also have oil. And unfortunately, the federal government is shutting it down," Allen said in a recent video responding to voter questions. "We in Virginia for example, coal is under attack from these unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats."

Companies that do business with the coal industry are also donating to Allen. Major coal transport firms CSX Corp. and Virginia-based Norfolk Southern Corp. have both given at least $5,000 to Allen's efforts to win back his old Senate seat.

With Virginia's abundant coal resources to the west and potential offshore oil in the east, Allen has been a strong advocate for offshore exploration and drilling. "I'm still in favor of allowing Virginia to explore safely for oil and gas off our coast," he said in another video, when asked about the Gulf spill.

Oil and gas companies have long favored Allen with donations, and they are coming back as he aims to make his Capitol Hill return. Koch Industries Inc., known for picking among the most conservative candidates, gave Allen at least $10,000 last year. Exxon Mobil Corp. gave him $2,500 in November, FEC records show. The CRP says that, overall, Allen has gotten more than $60,000 connected to oil and gas.

Kaine, who was chairman of the Democratic National Committee until he launched his Senate bid, is campaigning on being the first Virginia governor to come up with a state energy plan and touts his support for clean coal technology. At the same time, he is calling for ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"We need a national energy policy that takes immediate advantage of Virginia and America's own energy resources to end our dependence on foreign oil," Kaine said on his campaign website. "But we also need a commitment to transition to a lower-carbon energy portfolio for the good of the economy, the environment and global security."

Last year, Kaine got at least $3,000 from the United Mine Workers of America. While liberal on labor issues, the UMW is closer to many Republicans on efforts to cut emissions. Union leaders worry too much regulation could hurt coal mining jobs.

Still, for the energy industry, Allen is undeniably the candidate of choice in Virginia.

"The good news is that America has the most plentiful energy resources of any country in the world," Allen wrote in an opinion column published on the right-leaning website The Daily Caller. "Our reserves and recoverable oil, natural gas and coal exceed the resources of such energy giants as Saudi Arabia, China and Russia."

"The way forward," Allen wrote, "involves not the type of obstruction that President Obama and Chairman Kaine support but common-sense actions that will unleash America's energy resources and creativity."