Fossil Fuel-Linked Spending Surfaces in Fight Over Richland County Renewable Ban

Overview

• A new campaign filing shows the pro-ban group, Richland Farmland Preservation, reported five donations totaling $8,000 and committed more than $12,400 to GOP firm Majority Strategies for digital outreach.
• Majority Strategies has been a top vendor to The Empowerment Alliance, which promotes natural gas as “green energy,” and the pro-ban treasurer also serves a PAC the alliance created.
• Residents forced a countywide vote on the ban by submitting just over 3,300 valid signatures within 30 days of the commissioners’ decision to restrict large wind and solar.
• The restriction applies only to utility-scale projects in 11 of the county’s 18 townships that asked to be included, leaving rooftop panels and smaller systems outside the ban.
• The overturn campaign reports small-dollar local donors plus large in-kind support from the Natural Resources Defense Council and Ohio Citizen Action, while Republican-aligned donors and consultants back keeping the ban.