VP Pence signs Seneca Anti-Wind Union t-shirts, lends support to anti-wind groups during Ohio stop

After landing at an airport in Columbus earlier this week, Pence signed anti-wind t-shirts worn by members of the Ohio-based Seneca Anti-Wind Union who were gathered to greet him, according to a local report by The Ohio Star – a conservative news site – and Ohio-based anti-wind websites.

“Vice President Pence asked about our efforts in detail while also confirming his and President Donald J. Trump’s support in our fight,” according to a Facebook post by the Seneca Anti-Wind Union, which was accompanied by a number of photos documenting the meet and greet with Pence.

The Seneca Anti-Wind Union recently backed a controversial Ohio bill to bail out coal and nuclear power plants, as well as roll back the state’s clean energy standards. Governor DeWine signed the bill last week, shortly before heading to private fundraiser with President Trump hosted by Ohio-based coal producer Robert Murray.

Some members of the Seneca Anti-Wind Union are represented in their fight against new wind farms by a lawyer from the law firm Benesch Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff who is also representing Ohio’s coal industry in its fight against American Electric Power’s proposal to invest in new wind and solar projects in Ohio.

Leading members of the anti-wind group and the attorney, John F. Stock, have refused to answer reporters’ questions about their coal industry ties.

Benesch Friedlander was also included on an email containing a “confidential memorandum” in which Murray detailed a strategy for the Trump administration to “assist in the survival of our nation’s coal industry. The memo was obtained through a FOIA request to the Department of Energy.

Ohio Strong Action, a Super PAC formed earlier year, also posted a photo of the interaction on Facebook.

A local news video of Pence’s arrival at the airport shows a small group of supporters gathered to greet him in a cordoned off area, including the anti-wind activists: