At least 34 public comments opposing the Crossroads Solar project in Morrow County appear to be completely fabricated.

A new Canary Media investigation revealed the extent of the fraud. The developer reviewed comments submitted to the Ohio Power Siting Board and found dozens that don't check out. When Canary Media tried to verify these names through VoterRecords.com and Whitepages.com, only one could be confirmed - and that person's email bounced back as undeliverable.

Comments like the one from "Roger Willard of Cardington" calling solar "a crime against local property owners." Or "Mike Mercer," also supposedly from Cardington, claiming "REAL PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE DO NOT WANT THE SOLAR SCAM!"

When you strip out the fake, anonymous, and duplicate comments, more than 78% of legitimate commenters actually support Crossroads Solar. 

Between these fabricated comments and Cardington Township reversing its neutral stance on the project, the Ohio Power Siting Board reversed its own staff's recommendation and now appears poised to kill a $98 million project that would bring:

☀️ Hundreds of construction jobs
☀️ Millions in local tax revenue
☀️ Clean energy for Ohio families
☀️ Income opportunities for family farmers

This is the same playbook we've seen before. When powerful interests want to break the rules, they rig the entire game, just like FirstEnergy's $60 million bribery scheme to pass HB6.

Fake comments can be generated in minutes, but real organizing takes months. Canvassing neighborhoods. Building relationships with community members. Training residents to testify at hearings. Having hundreds of one-on-one conversations to cut through misinformation. Supporting real people who show up, meeting after meeting, because they believe in their community's future. 

The Crossroads Solar decision is expected by March 18. But this fight is bigger than one project. It's about whether Ohio's energy policy will be decided by real community voices and facts or by whoever can manufacture the most opposition.