As Ohio grapples with fake comments on clean energy, some want crackdown

Ohio regulators are facing questions about fake public comments used to sway decisions on energy projects. The most recent example involves Crossroads Solar Grazing Center, a proposed 94-megawatt solar farm in Morrow County that would have combined solar panels with sheep grazing. The developer presented evidence that dozens of comments opposing the project appeared to be fabricated, but the Ohio Power Siting Board still denied the permit, citing local opposition. The board did not ask the state attorney general to investigate the suspicious comments.

This isn't the first time. In 2023, nearly 150 people said their names were used without permission on pro-fracking comments submitted to a different Ohio commission. An investigation found a contractor for a fossil-fuel-aligned group likely misled people into allowing their names to be used, but no charges were filed. Similar episodes have popped up elsewhere, including a flood of apparently fake emails opposing a pipeline in North Carolina and an AI-linked comment campaign in Southern California that may have influenced a vote on rules phasing out fossil-fueled heaters.

For homeowners, this matters less as a direct action item and more as a reason to pay attention to how local energy decisions get made. Public comment periods on solar, wind, or gas projects near you are meant to reflect real community sentiment, but the process can be manipulated. Some advocates want Ohio to verify commenters' identities or refer fake submissions for prosecution, while other states are considering rules targeting AI-generated fake comments. Nothing has changed yet in Ohio.