Despite years of carefully coordinated attacks, the fossil fuel industry’s elaborate scheme to crush renewable energy has finally been exposed for what it really is—a desperate power grab. Documents leaked from organizations like The Empowerment Alliance (TEA) and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) reveal an entire shadow network of dark money and misinformation campaigns designed to keep America hooked on fossil fuels. Not exactly subtle, guys.
The fossil fuel industry’s anti-renewable crusade: dark money, misinformation, and a desperate grasp for fading power.
The coordinated assault involved far-right think tanks, climate-science deniers, and fossil fuel companies working together to spread lies online and stir up local opposition to wind and solar projects. State Policy Network, a Koch-affiliated group with tentacles in all 50 states, spent years attacking renewable energy mandates with literal cut-and-paste legislation. Because nothing says “grassroots movement” like identical bills appearing in multiple states simultaneously. Opposition groups consist primarily of older baby boomers who actively participate in local meetings to amplify their messaging.
The tactics were almost comically villainous. Murray Energy secretly funded a yearslong lawsuit against a Lake Erie wind farm. FirstEnergy dropped $60 million in bribes to secure bailouts for aging nuclear plants in Ohio. These folks weren’t just playing dirty—they were rewriting the rulebook on corruption. John Droz even convened a meeting in 2012 to unite local wind opponents with national groups, creating a leaked PR strategy for generating confusion about wind energy.
Perhaps most ridiculous were the methods revealed at industry conferences: creating “dummy businesses” to infiltrate communities, rigging youth science fairs with “preset parameters” steering kids away from wind energy, and launching meme campaigns. Yes, memes. The fossil fuel industry literally weaponized internet jokes against clean energy. This campaign has contributed to the shocking decline in renewable energy stocks, with major ETFs tracking clean energy investments down 30-35% this year alone.
They even co-opted progressive language, using “woke washing” terminology and environmental protection laws to fight against—wait for it—environmental protection. The Texas Public Policy Foundation has been filing lawsuits using environmental laws to block offshore wind projects. The irony is thick enough to choke on.
But the jig is up. As virtual power plants and distributed energy resources gain momentum, these fossil fuel dinosaurs are being exposed for what they are: desperate relics of a dying industry, clinging to power by any means necessary.
References
- https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/inside-the-right-wing-conspiracy-to-thwart-the-clean-energy-transition
- https://www.volts.wtf/p/the-right-wing-groups-behind-renewable
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01164-w
- https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/commentary/blog/unmasking-dark-money-how-fossil-fuel-interests-can-undermine-clean-energy-progress/
- https://www.masterresource.org/wind-power-grassroots-debate/wind-opposition-not-conspiracy/
- https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/sabin_climate_change/226/
