AI6YR Ben

The Guardian: Powerful US utilities secretly fund ‘grassroots’ groups to sway cities away from switch to public power

As communities push for publicly owned electricity, private utilities may be deploying dark money and local front groups to stop them

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/07/us-utilities-fund-groups-against-public-power-lobby

#astroturfing #climateemergency #power

Powerful US utilities secretly fund ‘grassroots’ groups to sway cities away from switch to public power

As communities push for publicly owned electricity, private utilities may be deploying dark money and local front groups to stop them

The Guardian
May 7 at 2:16pmWeb
Show threadAI6YR BenMay 7

"...The latest front is in Michigan, where the Ann Arbor Responsible Energy Coalition (A2rec) appears to be a local, grassroots organization opposing a public power campaign in the upper midwest city of about 123,000 people. But state filings show its mailing address was One Energy Plaza – the headquarters of DTE Energy, the deeply unpopular private utility giant that serves Ann Arbor...."

#astroturfing #climate

Show threadStormgrenMay 7
@ai6yr Yeah, DTE and their contractors are fucking garbage, and always will be. The worst part is, the MPSC lets them get away with whatever they want, more or less.
Show threada.k.a. low-profile May 7
@ai6yr This is my neck of the woods!
Show threadme_valentijnMay 7
@ai6yr
Energy companies are doing a great job of persuading everyone that they need to be owned by the public.
Show thread2xfoMay 7
@me_valentijn @ai6yr
Internet companies did this twenty years ago and mostly had success 🙃
Show threadDarwin WoodkaMay 7

@ai6yr

I see this in San Diego, it's ridiculous to see "local people" arguing for a power entity we all despise.