FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
April 27, 2022
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Is Bellino Reluctant to Regulate Top Campaign Donors?
As the chair of the House Energy Committee, Bellino is responsible for regulating the very energy companies who have donated tens of thousands to his campaigns
MICHIGAN – After months of devastating and prolonged power outages, Democratic lawmakers in the House have proposed new regulations to hold energy companies accountable to Michiganders. Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), chair of the House Energy Committee, refuses to say whether these bills that will grant Michigan families much needed relief would even receive hearings. Rep. Bellino has also received tens of thousands of dollars from Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, who have called the legislation “unnecessary.”
“This is a textbook example of why we need campaign finance reform in Michigan,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “How can Michiganders trust that Rep. Bellino is going to hold our energy companies accountable when he’s filling his campaign coffers with their cash? Not only is he letting special interests dictate our renewable energy agenda, he’s continuing to allow a DTE coal plant rated one of the worst super polluters in the country to poison his constituents rather than hold DTE accountable for what they put into our environment. Our elected representatives should be doing what’s best for the people of Michigan, not what’s best for their own pocketbooks. Is Rep. Bellino going to continue to listen to his corporate donors or is he going to listen to his constituents?”
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