Oil and gas execs have sold almost $400 million in their own company stock since the Iran war sent energy prices soaring, according to a new Friends of the Earth analysis. https://nyti.ms/45bmCVl

Fossil Fuel Executives Cash In (Gift Article)

Insiders at leading oil and gas companies have made millions from stocks since the Iran war began.

nytimes.com

2,239 doors knocked on day ONE. We're not waiting around for this election. We're knocking, talking, and organizing block by block, all across Ohio.

Eolian broke ground this week on what will be the biggest battery in the PJM market when it goes online in June 2027. It will help power the data center boom near Columbus, as tech giants face growing pressure to cover their own energy costs. https://bit.ly/3TDYNmu

"The outcome of the Kingwood Solar appeal could significantly shape the future of renewable energy development in Ohio and extend far beyond the fate of a single solar project – particularly where increasing local opposition may be the result of widespread misinformation..." https://bit.ly/4h96KKh

Ohio’s Clean Energy Siting Conundrum: Local Government Opposition, Serving the Public Interest, and the Appeal that Might Solve the Puzzle - Climate Law Blog

Clean energy siting across the nation is facing enormous challenges. Local opposition is widespread and rapidly increasing in many areas. One example is Ohio, where government opposition is a byproduc...

blogs.law.columbia.edu

Starting today, our canvassers are knocking doors across Ohio for our endorsed candidates.🇺🇸🇺🇸 ohiocitizen.org/vote2026/

Pike County isn't saying yes because this project is a sure thing. It's saying yes because decades of economic hardship don't leave much room to say otherwise. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31072026/us-largest-proposed-gas-power-plant-open-house/

Pike County has one of Ohio's highest cancer rates. Now they're being told 2,000 new nuclear jobs and a massive data center buildout are the answer. https://www.nbc4i.com/news/investigates/were-dying-pike-county-residents-balance-new-nuclear-jobs-with-past-radiation/

Ashville, Ohio has 5,000 people and an $8.4 million budget. A data center company offered $115 million and asked the village to fast track the deal so residents couldn't put it to a vote. The Ohio Supreme Court decides by Aug 5. https://bit.ly/4ySeNRU

Ohio Supreme Court case to decide if residents get any say on data center in their back yards

A ruling against Ashville residents could allow local governments statewide to fast-track major private developments without a public vote.

cleveland.com

This is a story about who bears the cost of energy production. Pennsylvania fracks the gas. Ohio takes the waste, because our injection well rules are looser. Marietta residents are the ones facing possible radioactive contamination of their water supply. https://nyti.ms/44WZf1C

In Ohio, Toxic Wastewater Is Bubbling Up Out of the Ground (Gift Article)

The state is a major importer of fracking wastewater, which gets pumped underground but doesn’t always stay there. The city of Marietta is fighting back.

nytimes.com

Why does BLM want to frack Ohio's only national forest-- the Wayne-- when renewable energy is cheaper, reliable and planet-friendly? Submit snail mail comments only by Aug. 3: bit.ly/4yOsIbO @altnps.bsky.social @altblmatinterior.bsky.social @peopleoverpetro.bsky.social @ohiocitizen.org

Submit a comment to protest fracking Wayne National Forest

The BLM is moving forward with fracking 41 parcels in the Marietta Unit of Wayne National Forest in Washington and Monroe counties, with bidding on these leases scheduled for September 15.

bit.ly

PJM manages the grid for Ohio and 12 other states. When their own market monitor says they're behind on understanding data center impacts, that's not a minor technical detail, that's a warning sign for everyone who gets a utility bill in this region. https://bit.ly/4pJ8tYQ

Voter ID is already Ohio law, already the strictest in the nation. Why is Issue 3 on the ballot? https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/07/29/what-is-issue-3-on-the-ohio-ballot/

What is Issue 3 on the Ohio ballot? • Ohio Capital Journal

Issue 3 asks Ohioans if the current voter photo identification requirement should be enshrined in the state constitution. While Republicans say this is good policy, Democrats and Libertarians argue th...

ohiocapitaljournal.com

Piketon: Ohio Power Siting Board to host meeting July 30 on 860-acre, 2 GW natural gas generation plant to help power polluting, hyperscale Softbank AI data center complex. 4-7 p.m. bit.ly/4fqY6FH @ccbecker271.bsky.social @peopleoverpetro.bsky.social @kentksmith.bsky.social @ohiocitizen.org

110 investor-owned utilities booked a combined $186 billion in profits from 2021–2024, pocketing roughly 13 cents of every dollar customers paid. Meanwhile, 1 in 6 U.S. households are behind on their utility bills.https://bit.ly/4h2vFz6

Inside the Energy Affordability Crisis: ‘We Will All Be Affected By This’ - Consumer Reports

Electric bills are skyrocketing, while utility companies rake in huge profits and data centers spread. For these people, the situation has become unsustainable.

consumerreports.org

A company that's never run a nuclear plant got a $1.52 billion federal loan, $300 million from Michigan, and a share of $1.3 billion in USDA funding to restart a reactor that's been offline since 2022. Four years later, it's still not generating power. https://nyti.ms/4yCamuq

Why Restarting a Nuclear Power Plant Can Be Much Harder Than Expected (Gift Article)

The first U.S. attempt at reopening a shuttered reactor has been held back by run-down equipment and a lack of planning.

nytimes.com

Here in Ohio, we're seeing what "off-grid" data center power looks like: Meta running servers out of tents on gas turbines. New report says even widespread off-grid gas buildout still leaves a 19-GW shortfall by 2035. Skipping the grid just means less oversight, more pollution https://bit.ly/4yKB9ok

"This is what Ohio’s leaders are building: a state that leased the earth it was supposed to hold in trust and buried poison beneath the water it was supposed to protect. A state organized, end-to-end, around someone else’s profit." https://bit.ly/4vVxAcr

From public parks to toxic waste, Ohio has built a state for fracking: Leila Atassi

Ohio has built a system that serves the fracking industry from beginning to end—opening public lands for drilling, accepting its toxic waste and leaving Ohioans to bear the risks.

cleveland.com

For years Ohio's rate setting process couldn't keep up with how fast the grid was changing. HB 15 was designed to fix that. With data centers driving demand, the first forecasted rate cases will tell us if the new system delivers the transparency and predictability it promised https://bit.ly/44Ql6YI

Ohio regulators approve new rules for electric rate increases

Every time an electric utility wants to charge Ohio customers more, it has to make its case before state regulators. This week, Ohio finalized a rewrite for how those cases are argued.

cleveland.com

This data center is being built on a decommissioned uranium enrichment site 50 miles south of Columbus. The power plant that will run it sits on federal land, controlled by U.S. govt. Public land plus federal control cuts out local approval fights, and the govt gets a cut. https://on.wsj.com/4gVW9lP

Exclusive | Nvidia in Talks With OpenAI to Guarantee $250 Billion Financing for Data Center

Project would be one of the largest AI computing hubs and involve power controlled by the U.S. government.

wsj.com

Lakewood residents are demanding accountability from FirstEnergy, and Councilman Tom Bullock just gave PUCO the receipts. 297 residents. 368 outages. Average outage: 12 hours. Some lasted 48. https://bit.ly/4fy3rv3

Lakewood councilman sends residents’ outage survey to PUCO as pressure mounts on FirstEnergy

Lakewood Councilman Tom Bullock submitted nearly 300 resident survey responses to PUCO documenting the health, financial and communication impacts of repeated FirstEnergy power outages.

cleveland.com

"Giving farmers the option to give their land a new purpose is important. When you own your land, it is your right to decide how it is used. If... a neighbor came to you telling you what to do with the land you own and pay for, how would that make you feel?" https://bit.ly/44Gm9dA

To the editor: Let farmers choose own direction for their land

It is no secret that Ohio is experiencing power shortages and continued strain on our electric grid. Brownouts and blackouts are becoming more common, and ...

toledoblade.com

Come work with us! (Jimothy isn’t a permanent staff member) https://ohiocitizen.org/engagement/careers/

Jones and Dowling face charges on two fronts: federal racketeering in Cincinnati and state charges in Summit County. The federal trial may move to Jan. 2028. Judge Black cites complexity, not a weak case, warning that rushing risks a miscarriage of justice.https://bit.ly/4wkKce9

Federal judge eyes 2028 trial in RICO case against former FirstEnergy executives

A federal judge wants to delay the RICO trial of former FirstEnergy executives to 2028.

cleveland.com

Jones and Dowling face charges on two fronts: federal racketeering in Cincinnati and state charges in Summit County. The federal trial may move to Jan. 2028. Judge Black cites complexity, not a weak case, warning that rushing risks a miscarriage of justice.https://bit.ly/4wkKce9

Federal judge eyes 2028 trial in RICO case against former FirstEnergy executives

A federal judge wants to delay the RICO trial of former FirstEnergy executives to 2028.

cleveland.com

JobsOhio is handing out $100 million in public energy funds, but solar and wind projects aren't allowed to apply. JobsOhio is also exempt from Ohio's public records law. That means we don't know which companies are applying or what conversations shaped the rules. https://bit.ly/3RMpAfQ

A $100M Ohio energy fund lacks transparency — and excludes renewables

JobsOhio, which is administering the new fund, has drawn criticism for limiting the opportunity to nuclear and natural gas — and for its opaque process.

canarymedia.com

Local governments don't need permission from the Statehouse or a favorable ruling from PUCO to act on energy affordability. They just need leaders willing to do it. Right now, they're the only level of government actually solving this problem. https://bit.ly/4bXaFGm

Ohio local governments embracing clean energy to alleviate burden of energy affordability crisis • Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio families have been mired in an ongoing energy affordability crisis. The question is whether our governor, lawmakers, or utility regulators will ever confront it. The answer has been resounding si...

bit.ly

💸 Why are utilities still pushing expensive gas plants when wind and solar are cheaper and faster to build? Because utilities earn profits by building big infrastructure projects, not by choosing the lowest-cost option for customers. Watch the explainer: https://bit.ly/4vSl5P2

The New Utility Gold Rush

Utilities are making more money than ever as they try to cash in on building new power plants to serve data centers. And YOU are footing the bill with no choice but to pay.

youtube.com

The same PR firm that helped tobacco companies deny cancer risks, Hill & Knowlton, was hired by the gas industry to sell Americans on "clean" natural gas. New investigation from @climateintegrity.org shows decades of internal documents contradict everything the public was told https://bit.ly/4gJxwIX

How Big Oil Spent Decades Selling the Myth of ‘Clean’ Natural Gas

A new report reveals oil and gas companies knew as early as the mid-1970s that methane fueled climate change while launching massive PR campaigns to promote natural gas as clean energy.

desmog.com

The federal government is stripping away energy-efficiency programs at the exact moment the war in Iran pushes oil prices up, record heat drives air conditioning demand, and data centers put new strain on the electric grid. https://nyti.ms/4wUWqtZ

The U.S. Is Pulling Back on Energy Efficiency (Gift Article)

The Trump administration is undoing fuel-saving efforts even as war in Iran, data centers and heat waves are pushing up gasoline and electricity costs.

nytimes.com

LaRose sent Ohio's voter data to the federal government in February, no public input required. Now that data's tangled up in unproven claims about China, and the man in charge of protecting our elections is stuck defending how he's doing his job. https://bit.ly/4vEo25k

Trump claims China compromised Ohio voter rolls; LaRose’s office says ‘not a breach of any kind’

Ohio—which President Trump won three times, including in 2020—is on that list of states that Trump said had their voter rolls compromised by China.

statenews.org