A vulnerable Democratic senator is linked to "radical organizations" seeking to shut down a large power plant in a crucial swing state.

A nonprofit watchdog group with a history of anti-Israel rhetoric and ties to a vulnerable Democratic senator is working to shut down one of the largest power plants in the US, potentially costing hundreds of jobs and raising energy costs for Ohioans.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) and the Sierra Club recently sent a joint letter to Blackstone, urging the group to shut down the Gavin Power Plant in Ohio due to environmental concerns and arguing that the plant is the "largest and dirtiest" in the United States.

The coal plant, being the largest coal-burning power plant in Ohio and the 9th largest in the country, employs nearly 300 people. However, the Institute for Energy Research predicts that shutting down the plant could have a negative impact on the stability of the electric grid and power markets, as it accounts for 11% of Ohio's electricity production.

Experts caution that closing the plant in Gallia County, Ohio, could lead to higher electric bills for residents, who already pay 24% more than the national average, and even higher than other areas in Ohio.

The Sierra Club has been running ads to pressure Blackstone to retire the plant.

The Sierra Club hosted a virtual phone bank event in late September, which benefitted Brown, who has a long history of working with PESP. The Sierra Club has also endorsed Brown through their PAC.

In June, Brown took part in a PESP press conference and mentioned PESP in a letter to the Federal National Mortgage Association in 2020.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition wrote about Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and his promotion of the Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) in 2021.

In a 2024 letter to the Department of Labor, Brown referenced PESP's research.

Several staff members at PESP, which has received funding from left-leaning groups such as the Soros-backed Foundation to Promote an Open Society, the Ford Foundation, and Surdna Foundation, were found to have participated in anti-Israel protests or promoted radical claims related to the conflict in a previous FOX Business review.

On the day of the Hamas attack on Israel, where over 1,200 people were murdered and hundreds more taken hostage, PESP senior research coordinator Abhilasha Bhola liked a post on X that included the phrase "from the river to the sea," which is widely understood as a call for the elimination of the state of Israel.

In November 2023, K Agbebiyi, a senior housing campaign coordinator with PESP, attended a rally in Washington, D.C. where she demanded an end to the genocide in Palestine. In December of that year, she posted a photo of a mural titled "Liberation looks like terrorism in the eyes of the oppressor."

The University of Michigan was criticized by a group of alumni for its "anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim animus" and they demanded the school to stop its exchange programs and partnerships with Israeli universities.

In 2022, Agbebiyi shared on X that she is "becoming more principled of a Marxist" and described her political views as "communist."

The Brown campaign spokesperson stated that Brown will always prioritize protecting Ohio jobs and will collaborate with the company, workers, and community leaders to maintain the plant's operation, keep energy costs reasonable, and ensure the safety and well-being of local residents. Despite this, the campaign did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's inquiry regarding PESP's anti-Israel rhetoric.

The Ohio Senate race is considered a "toss up" by many experts, and the Cook Political Report ranks it as such.

In Ohio, coal energy production and fracking are major concerns for voters, making energy a pivotal issue.

The Brown campaign stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that Brown supports a comprehensive approach to American energy independence and highlighted instances where he opposed his own party to prevent Biden's energy regulations, such as voting against the "clean" power plant rules.

"Sherrod Brown is a Green New Deal radical who wants to shut down Ohio energy production, according to Reagan McCarthy, a campaign spokesperson for Bernie Moreno. While Sherrod claims there is no war on coal, he is actively campaigning with radical groups who want to shut down Ohio coal plants. Unlike Sherrod, Bernie will always stand with Ohio's energy industry."

PESP's communications director, Matt Parr, argued that the group's plan to shut down the power plant is necessary because it is one of the country's most polluting and dangerous coal-fired plants.

"The Gavin coal plant, owned by private equity giant Blackstone, is one of the highest emitting, dirtiest, and deadliest coal-fired power plants in the United States, emitting 14.7 million tons of CO2 last year. According to Parr, the plume of toxins emitted by Blackstone's 50-year-old Gavin plant have major public health impacts for Ohio and other states because it is upwind of major metropolitan areas across the eastern U.S. such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Modeling has found Blackstone's Gavin plant to be the nation’s deadliest coal plant, causing an estimated 244 premature deaths each year from particulate emissions."

The Sierra Club did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.