The Knox Memorial Theater in Mount Vernon, site of anti-solar rallies, is backed by the Ariel Corp.
Jared Yost, leader of the anti-solar Knox Smart Development group, confirmed in recent sworn testimony before the Ohio Power Siting Board that his group was supported by the Ariel Corp. and its allied Empowerment Alliance.
Checks & Balances Project reported last March that Yost was a former employee of Ariel, whose former CEO is one of the main funders of the Empowerment Alliance, which has fought the development of renewable energy projects throughout Ohio.
Ariel, which is based in Mount Vernon, makes compressors for the oil and natural gas industry.
As Kathiann Kowalski of Energy News Network reported, Yost’s testimony “offered the fullest view yet of the group’s ties to fossil fuel interests, undercutting its claims to be a “grassroots” advocate for local farmers and other residents.”
Opponents of the Fraser Solar project in Knox County have tried to portray themselves as a grassroots group concerned about farmland preservation.
C&BP reported that Ariel’s fingerprints are everywhere in the fight over the Frasier Solar project in Mount Vernon:
- Karen Buchwald Wright, Ariel’s chairwoman, is a major donor to The Empowerment Alliance.
- Anti-solar meetings in Mount Vernon were conducted in the Knox Memorial theater, which is backed by the Ariel Foundation.
- Ariel executives lead some of the comments to the Ohio Power Siting Board against the project.
- Jack Van Kley, the lawyer representing a group of local opponents, has long been paid by front groups aligned against renewable energy. Van Kley participated in the questioning of witnesses before the OPSB.
During last week’s OPSB hearing, Yost said that one of Knox Smart Development’s largest donors is Tom Rastin, Ariel’s former vice president and the husband of Karen Buchwald Wright. Last year, The Washington Post reported that Rastin is also a leader of The Empowerment Alliance.
Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.
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