St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

Though the concept of donating to politicians who are sympathetic to a cause isn't new, it appears that Michigan utility companies are coordinating to outspend candidates who are supportive of the expansion of solar energy, according to Energy News Network.

This has been made clear by recent campaign finance records, which reveal that DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, ITC Holdings and SEMCO have given over $50,000 to political rivals of Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor). Rabhi is the Michigan House floor leader, has been an outspoken opponent of the energy industry in the past and has supported legislation to expand solar energy. 

Though $50,000 might not sound like a significant amount for larger races, it represents a large commitment for a race of this size. That total is not even including any dark money contributions, which are not visible to the pubic.

Sen. Tom Barrett | #MiSenateGOP

The donations come after Rabhi was a critic of legislation in 2016 that slowed down the expansion of solar energy and supported legislation in 2019 to reverse some parts of that bill, which later passed. He also refused to accept utility contributions. A similar thing happened to Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) and former Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland). It has become clear that any politician who is unfriendly to the utility industry's cause is at risk for funding the opposition. 

The efforts of the energy industry to influence state policy has expanded in recent years. Simon Schuster, director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, told Energy News Network, “Generally, industries that have a really good market position want to preserve that market position, and that’s what you can see Consumers doing in this instance."

Glenn and others feel that no significant progress will be made on energy reform in the next decade due to the influence that the industry currently has over the Michigan Legislature.