Daniel Gray, MBA – Founder and Director of Local Strategies, Citizens Utility Board of Ohio

Dear Colleagues:

Ohio energy politics are a bit awkward for “political scientists” like myself.

For many years I have taught about interest groups in American politics, either as part of our introductory course (The U.S. Political System) or our course dedicated to the topic (Interest Groups in the Policy Process).

I’ve always felt I had to worry that students would assume that interest groups are giant evil corporations that dominated politics, against the interests of “the people,” through a combination of campaign contributions and outright purchase of politicians. Large majorities of the public think interest group money corrupts (rather willing) politicians. We professional political scientists know (or think we know) that though corporations might want to do that, the system is far more complicated and the advantages of wealth, though real, both are less powerful and more subtle than the “evil special interests” view assumes.

Or so I teach. But the headlines about energy company regulation in Ohio sure seem to fit the cynical public view. On February 12, Attorney General Dave Yost announced indictments of Sam Randazzo, former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio; Chuck Jones former CEO of First Energy Corporation; and Michael Dowling, former First Energy senior vice president of external affairs, for their parts in a $60 million bribery scandal centered on (but not only involving) the 2019 passage of House Bill 6, a massive bailout of First Energy’s failing nuclear energy portfolio (and more). Yost proclaimed the case was about, “the hostile capture of a significant portion of Ohio’s state government by deception, betrayal, and dishonesty.”

Some longtime observers of state energy politics wondered why it had taken so long for the state to indict these officials, considering that we were more than three years into the scandal (see this timeline). On July 21, 2020, Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder was arrested by federal agents on racketeering and bribery charges. A year later First Energy as a corporation agreed to pay a $230 million fine, admitted to bribing Householder and Randazzo, and agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Householder was convicted just under a year ago (March 9, 2023) and sentenced to twenty years in prison. But the bribery is hardly the only part of this story in which money seemed to shout. As soon as H.B. 6 was passed, a petition drive to create a referendum for repeal of the law began. It was defeated by a counter-drive that seems to have spent at least $17 million on anti-referendum television and radio ads, harassing signature collectors, and promoting an “alternative” and highly misleading petition about Chinese influence.

The scandal is one heck of a story, and we were able to have Miranda Leppla, who directs CWRU’s Environmental Law Clinic, discuss it with our group back in November of 2022. But there’s a bit more to state energy politics than the power of corporate money. A fairly robust community of pro-environmental and pro-consumer groups seeks to counter corporate power, and one could even argue that the fact that First Energy had to resort to bribery that cost its CEO his job is an indicator that utilities are not quite all-powerful. (Though it also could mean that they screwed up their business so thoroughly that even the usual corporate influence was not enough to save them).

As the scandal heads back into the courtroom, therefore, I thought it could be instructive to look at the other side of Ohio energy politics – the groups that fight for cleaner and more affordable energy. To tell that story, I’m especially glad to welcome one of my former students, Dan Gray, who was already a political activist when I met him. As an undergraduate he was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic convention! After some time working on political campaigns, Dan has spent over a decade working on energy issues. He joins us to help explain both the situation in Ohio and the advocacy for clean and affordable energy throughout the region.

In-Person and Virtual Attendance

We will meet this week in our regular location, the Dampeer Room on the second floor of Kelvin Smith Library.

We continue also to offer the meetings on Zoom. We do require pre-registering so as to avoid “zoom-bombing.” The pre-registration link is posted below.

The discussion begins at 12:30 p.m., but the room should be open no later than Noon. We try to have beverages and refreshments set up soon after that. Participants should be able to sign on to Zoom also by Noon. But please remember not much will be happening online until the talk begins at 12:30 pm. Please also be prepared to show identification when entering Kelvin Smith Library.

Zoom participants should speak up when asked for questions or comments, or submit thoughts through Zoom’s chat function. Please keep yourself muted until you are choosing to speak.

Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion. When you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. If you do not get the newsletter, you should also be able to get the information each Monday by checking http://fridaylunch.case.edu Then if you choose you can use the contact form on that website to request the registration link.

This week’s Zoom link for registration is:

https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvduitpz4oHdPDomn2t8YK6_b4I8cp9_Lf

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please also e-mail padg@case.edu if you have questions about arrangements or any suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you.

Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,

Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Dan Gray is President Emeritus and Director of Local Strategies for Citizens Utility Board of Ohio, a pro-clean energy consumer advocacy organization. He is a cofounder of CUB Ohio and specializes in innovative policies that could empower local governments in the transition to clean energy. He currently focuses on municipal utility reform as an avenue for quick and consumer friendly policy innovation.

Prior to joining CUB Ohio, Dan served as Director of Regional Strategies for CUB Illinois, working to coordinate strategy across the partner CUB organizations across the Midwest. He has expansive previous experience in both private sector and nonprofit activism, having founded a startup for digital energy efficiency implementation. He worked for almost a decade in political organizing, helping to elect two governors, a Senator, and multiple members of Congress.

Dan proudly serves on the Board of the Ohio Environmental Council. He received his BA in political science from CWRU and his MBA from The Ohio State University.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

March 8: The 2024 Elections. With Colin Swearingen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.

March 15: Spring Break

March 22: Thinking About Generative AI. With Satya Sahoo, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Science and Director, Biomedical and Health Informatics Ph.D. Program.

March 29: The Impact of Neighborhood and Racial Violence on Black Youth Developmental Outcomes. With Dexter Voisin, Ph.D., Dean of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

April 5: WTFentanyl? What We Need to Know About the Current Opioid Crisis. With Ryan Marino, MD, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry.

April 12: Conspiracy Theories and Climate Change Skepticism in Europe. With Andreas Sobisch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.

April 19: Why Our Children Struggle in School: Going Beyond the ADHD Metaphor. With Arthur Lavin MD, FAAP. Alternate Room: Kelvin Smith Library LL06

April 26: What Does It Mean for Us? Local Needs and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With Howard Maier FAICP, Adjunct Professor of Political Science.