Fossil Fuel Promoters Tied to Campaign to Maintain Ohio County’s Renewable Energy Ban

A group fighting to uphold Ohio County’s renewable energy ban has significant financial ties to individuals and organizations that promote fossil fuels, according to a campaign finance report filed this week.

Last summer, Richland County became one of more than three dozen counties in Ohio to ban utility-scale wind and solar energy in all or part of its jurisdiction under statute. 2021 a law that imposes additional hurdles on locating renewable energy sources – although not on fossil fuel projects. Richland’s ban applies 11 with his 18 towns, blocking novel photovoltaic projects 50 megawatts or more and novel wind projects 5 MW or more.

What makes Richland unusual, however, is that residents opposed to the novel restriction have united and he got it on the ballot for May 5 choiceallowing voters to decide whether they want to restore the right to consider wind and solar projects on a case-by-case basis. If successful, the referendum could provide a blueprint for moving away from local renewable energy restrictions that are spreading across the U.S.

The main group urging voters to keep the ban is Richland Farmland Preservation. The latest campaign finance report shows the following: As of April 21organization reported only five contributions totaling $8,000. On the spending side, the campaign agreed to pay more than $12,400 to the Republican political advertising firm Majority Strategies Limited liability company for text messaging and digital advertising.

Most Strategies have ties to the fossil fuel industry. Over the years, it has been the largest recipient of money spent by The Empowerment Alliance, which promotes the employ of natural gas and pushes for policies defining fossil fuels as“green energy.” The murky money group was launched in 2019 by a former executive of Ariel Corp., a manufacturer of gas turbine compressors.

Even before the campaign finance report was filed, it appeared that Richland Farmland Preservation had ties to The Empowerment Alliance: the campaign group’s treasurer, Dustin McIntyre, is also the organization’s treasurer Affordable Energy Fund PITCHwhich The Empowerment Alliance organize something IN 2021 support Republican candidates in Ohio.

Meanwhile, Majority Strategies’ chief strategist Tom Whatman has a long history of anti-renewable energy. November is coming 2023 anti-sunny town hall in Knox County, south of Richland County. Whatman previously served as executive director of the Ohio Republican Party.

It also appears that one of Whatman’s other companies is the largest donor to the Richland Farmland Preservation campaign. He shares address with the signing of the articles of association of Whatman Farms Limited liability companywhich gave the campaign group $2,500which is the largest donation on record.

Some pristine energy advocates say it’s disingenuous that fossil fuel advocates are campaigning against competition in the industry on the premise of protecting farmland.

““It reminded me … of this general abuse by front groups or political activists in the natural gas industry,” said Dave Anderson, policy and communications manager at the Energy and Policy Institute, a national watchdog group promoting clean energy. He noted that these organizations oppose solar and wind power by making arguments“around protecting farmland while advocating for the removal of all restrictions on oil and gas extraction in those same rural counties.”

Emails in public records obtained by the Energy and Policy Institute show that Whatman received about two months’ notice in July 2025 Richland County commissioners meeting where the ban was unanimously adopted. However, several dozen residents who showed up at the meeting against the ban only found out about it days earlier.

Neither Whatman nor McIntyre of Richland Farmland Preservation responded to Canary Media’s requests for comment.

Canary Media also did not receive a response from Ohio State Senator Mark Romanczuk, a Republican whose campaign committee donated the dollars1,500 to the Richland Agricultural Land Preserve.

Romanchuk spearheaded the effort to label natural gas as““green energy” as part of last-minute amendments to an unrelated poultry law that came into force in January 2023. He is also the main sponsor Senate bill 294which was introduced last fall and could prevent future development of solar and wind energy in the state, defining them as neither affordable nor reliable. Renewable energy advocates have called such arguments false, noting that the levelized cost of wind and solar power is often comparable to or cheaper than natural gas, and batteries can store energy for later employ.

Compared to the “yes” camp, Richland County Citizens for Property Rights and Job Development, which is encouraging Richland voters to overturn the renewable energy ban, spent more money, but it said campaign finance report. Individual contributions range from $5 to $500. The group also reported monetary and in-kind donations from the Ohio Natural Resources Defense and Citizen Action Council, which has publicly reported on its volunteers’ work to support the local group. Expenses include, among others: February fundraising costs, rental fees for town hall information meetings, and advertising, printing and mailing campaign materials.

According to Emily Adams, treasurer of Richland County Citizens for Property Rights and Job Development, the number of donors and the range of amounts show the real support of county residents ​“to aid get this message out to voters so voters can make an informed decision and protect their property rights.”

““I’m not surprised that people directly connected to the natural gas industry are donating money to the ‘vote yes’ campaign,” Adams said when asked about the Richland Farmland Preservation report.​“I think it just goes to show that it’s not really about preserving farmland for them. It is about preserving the land for your own employ and personal gain.”