Vulnerable Dem senator tied to 'radical groups' working to close massive power plant in swing state

FIRST ON FOX: A arguable nonprofit watchdog enactment with a past of anti-Israel rhetoric and ties to susceptible Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is moving to adjacent 1 of the largest powerfulness plants successful the United States successful a determination that could outgo hundreds of jobs and rise vigor costs for Ohioans.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) recently sent a associated letter, on with the Sierra Club, to Blackstone urging the radical to unopen down the Gavin Power Plant successful Ohio owed to biology concerns and arguing that the works is the "largest and dirtiest" successful the United States.

The ember works is the largest coal-burning powerfulness works successful Ohio and the 9th largest successful the country, employing astir 300 people. The Institute for Energy Research has estimated that closing the works could "negatively interaction the stableness of the electrical grid and powerfulness markets" fixed that it produces 11% of the energy successful the authorities of Ohio. 

Other experts pass that residents of Gallia County, Ohio, the region wherever the works is located, already person higher mean electrical bills than different areas successful Ohio and 24% higher than the nationalist mean suggesting that closing the works would nonstop those costs up adjacent higher.

OHIO GOP SENATE CHALLENGER REACTS TO POLLS SHOWING DEAD HEAT IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: 'RADICAL LIBERAL'

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, walks done the U.S. Capitol successful July. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In caller weeks, the Sierra Club has been running ads targeting Blackstone's enactment successful an effort to enactment unit connected the radical to discontinue the plant. 

Brown, who benefitted from a virtual telephone slope event hosted by the Sierra Club successful precocious September and has been endorsed by their PAC, has a agelong past of moving with PESP.

Brown participated successful a PESP property conference successful June and cited PESP successful a missive to the Federal National Mortgage Association successful 2020.

"NPR reports that Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), president of the U.S. Senate Committee connected Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, is seeking answers from a firm landlord aft a report by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project recovered the steadfast has been filing for evictions overmuch much implicit successful predominantly Black neighborhoods during the pandemic," The National Low Income Housing Coalition wrote astir Brown and his promotion of PESP In 2021.

Brown besides cited PESP's enactment successful a 2024 letter to the Department of Labor. 

A previous FOX Business review recovered that respective unit members astatine PESP, which has been funded by the Soros-backed Foundation to Promote an Open Society, the Ford Foundation, and Surdna Foundation, among different left-leaning groups, took portion successful anti-Israel protests oregon promoted extremist claims related to the conflict.

On the time of the Hamas onslaught connected Israel, wherever implicit 1,200 radical were murdered and hundreds much taken hostage, PESP elder probe coordinator and self-proclaimed "Marxist" Abhilasha Bhola liked a station connected X that included the operation "from the stream to the sea" which is wide understood arsenic a telephone for the elimination of the authorities of Israel.

Community organizer K Agbebiyi, a elder lodging run coordinator with PESP, attended a November 2023 rally successful Washington, D.C. "demanding an extremity to the genocide successful Palestine" and successful December of that twelvemonth she posted a photo of a mural titled "Liberation looks similar coercion successful the eyes of the oppressor." 

NRA TARGETS SEN SHERROD BROWN IN 7-FIGURE AD BUY IN OHIO: 'VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT'

Polls amusement a cervix and cervix contention betwixt Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and GOP challenger Bernie Moreno (Getty Images)

Additionally, Agbebiyi signed a missive with different alumni of the University of Michigan slamming the schoolhouse for "anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim animus" and demanding the assemblage "discontinue speech programs and strategical partnerships with Israeli universities."

In 2022, Agbebiyi posted connected X that she is "becoming much principled of a Marxist" and described her governmental views arsenic "communist."

A spokesperson for the Brown run told Fox News Digital that Brown "will ever combat to support Ohio jobs and volition proceed to enactment with the company, workers, and assemblage leaders to support the works open, support vigor costs affordable, and marque definite section residents enactment steadfast and safe." However, the run did not code Fox News Digital's question astir PESP's anti-Israel rhetoric.

Many experts judge the Ohio Senate contention volition play a captious relation successful determining which enactment controls the Senate adjacent twelvemonth and the Cook Political Report ranks the contention betwixt Brown and Republican businessman Bernie Moreno arsenic a "toss up."

Energy has been a cardinal contented successful Ohio, a authorities wherever ember vigor accumulation and fracking are apical issues with voters.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sen. Sherrod Brown (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Brown run told Fox News Digital that Brown "believes successful an each of the supra attack to American vigor independence" and pointed to examples of wherever helium "stood up to his ain party" to artifact Biden vigor regulations, including voting against Biden's "clean" powerfulness works rules.

"Sherrod Brown is simply a Green New Deal extremist who wants to unopen down Ohio vigor production," Moreno run spokesperson Reagan McCarthy told Fox News Digital. "While Sherrod claims determination is 'no warfare connected coal,' helium is actively campaigning with extremist groups who privation to unopen down Ohio ember plants. Unlike Sherrod, Bernie volition ever basal with Ohio's vigor industry."

Matt Parr, the communications manager for PESP, defended the group's propulsion to adjacent the powerfulness plant, calling it "one of the highest emitting, dirtiest, and deadliest coal-fired powerfulness plants successful the United States."

"The Gavin ember plant, owned by backstage equity elephantine Blackstone, is 1 of the highest emitting, dirtiest, and deadliest coal-fired powerfulness plants successful the United States, emitting 14.7 cardinal tons of CO2 past year," Parr told Fox News Digital. "The plume of toxins emitted by Blackstone's 50-year-old Gavin works person large nationalist wellness impacts for Ohio and different states due to the fact that it is upwind of large metropolitan areas crossed the eastbound U.S. specified arsenic Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Modeling has recovered Blackstone's Gavin works to beryllium the nation’s deadliest ember plant, causing an estimated 244 premature deaths each twelvemonth from particulate emissions."

Fox News Digital reached retired to the Sierra Club for remark but did not person a response.