When Jack Abramoff and Karl Rove’s protege starts an organization dedicated to “responsible” anything, you know something is off.
That is precisely the case behind “Citizens for Responsible Solar.” Susan Ralston, a former top staffer in Karl Rove’s White House, started this astroturf organization and is using it to block solar energy projects through the propagation of misinformation nationwide.
After leaving Rove’s White House amidst ethics investigations, Ralston returned to her roots as a shady lobbyist deploying tactics she had learned while studying under Jack Abramoff for years. Just as Ralston was starting Citizens for Responsible Solar, her lobbying firm received nearly $300,000 from the Paul E. Singer Foundation – the foundation of a significant fossil fuel investor and top GOP donor. What was the money used for? Nobody knows.
Astro-turf groups have sprung up all across the country to oppose solar and other renewables with unfounded claims that solar and wind energy causes cancer. And sadly, their efforts are working. A study found that in 2022, there were 121 ordinances across the country to oppose wind and solar, an 18% increase from the year before. Ralston even stopped a cattle farmer in Virginia from building a solar farm that would produce energy for 25,000 homes. So much for individual liberty!
Ralston’s organization runs misinformation campaigns in 10 states to stop solar projects.
They say that sunshine is the best disinfectant. For Susan Ralston, it’s no surprise she lives in the shadows.
At the Coalition for Renewables Now, we will highlight their misnomers, deceits, and overall barriers to American Renewable Energy – because it’s time we made America the leader in Renewables and not in scams and charades.