All posts by Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson is the policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute. Dave has been working at the nexus of clean energy and public policy since 2008. Prior to joining the Energy and Policy Institute, he was an outreach coordinator for the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He is also an alumnus of the Sierra Club and the Alliance for Climate Protection (now the Climate Reality Project). Dave’s research has helped to spur public scrutiny of political attacks on clean energy and climate science by powerful special interests, such as ExxonMobil and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). His work has been cited by major media outlets, such as CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, and he has served as a speaker on panels at national solar industry conferences. Dave holds a MA in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire, where he also received a BA in Humanities.

Utility members silent on Ohio Chamber’s opposition to Issue 1, but their money speaks volumes

Utility members of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce are silent on the industry group’s opposition to Issue 1, which aims to depoliticize how voting districts are drawn in Ohio.  The...

/ November 1, 2024

Issue 1 opponent Ohio Works’ funders include utility and gas industry-backed groups

Major funders of Issue 1 opponent Ohio Works include the American Jobs and Growth Fund, a dark-money organization with financial ties to the utility and methane gas industries, and the...

/ October 25, 2024

Ohio Oil and Gas Association opposes Issue 1: Members have benefited from one-party rule in Columbus  

The Ohio Oil and Gas Association has come out in opposition to Issue 1, the ballot initiative that aims to depoliticize how voting districts are drawn in Ohio and end...

/ October 21, 2024

Subpoenaed records detail FirstEnergy’s secret political spending to influence then-President Donald Trump 

How FirstEnergy, one of America’s most corrupt utilities, secretly spent millions of dollars as it pursued a multi-billion-dollar federal bailout for its coal and nuclear plants during Donald Trump’s presidency,...

/ October 9, 2024

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance PACs raked in millions from gas industry megadonors Karen Buchwald Wright and Thomas Rastin 

Ariel Corporation chairman and her spouse have also opposed new solar farms in Ohio Gas industry megadonor couple Karen Buchwald Wright and Thomas Rastin together contributed at least $2.4 million...

/ August 14, 2024

FirstEnergy floats $13.6 million refund in Pennsylvania in response to Ohio criminal investigation and audits of influence spending charged to customers 

FirstEnergy is proposing to refund $13.6 million to Pennsylvania customers who the company mischarged for payments related to the utility’s bribery schemes in Ohio, as well as advertising, lobbying, sports...

/ April 4, 2024

Blocking renewable energy is a top state legislative priority for network of pro-fossil fuels think tanks

The State Policy Network (SPN) announced on its website last month that it will focus on working with state lawmakers to prevent states from adopting wind and solar power in...

/ March 6, 2024

Who’s who in former PUCO chairman Samuel Randazzo’s indictment? 

A federal grand jury has indicted former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chairman Samuel Randazzo on bribery and fraud charges.  FirstEnergy is not named in the indictment, which was unsealed...

/ December 4, 2023

Political consultant for pipeline company teams up with anti-wind and solar activists in Michigan 

A new group formed by anti-wind and solar activists in Michigan has teamed up with a Republican political consulting firm that also represents an oil and gas pipeline company to...

/ November 8, 2023

Potomac Edison faces Maryland audit after admitting it charged customers for FirstEnergy’s bribes and lobbying 

Maryland utility regulators ordered a new audit of Potomac Edison last week, after the FirstEnergy-owned utility admitted in a rate case that it owes nearly $1.7 million in refunds to...

/ October 26, 2023