Ann Arbor energy group to rally against city Energy Commission nominee

ANN ARBOR – On Tuesday, Ann Arbor for Public Power (A2P2) will rally at Larcom City Hall at 5:30 p.m. to protest the nomination of Knox Cameron to the Ann Arbor Energy Commission.

A nonprofit, A2P2 is made up of members championing Tree Town-owned electric utilities.

According to a release by the group, Cameron is a DTE manager and his nomination would be a conflict of interest and counter the city’s commitment to its carbon neutrality plan, A2ZERO.

“A2P2 commends City Council for its commitment to the A2Zero plan and to the plan’s broad range of sustainability initiatives,” the organization said. “However, we strongly urge Council to reject the nomination of Knox Cameron to the Energy Commission. DTE Energy, Mr. Cameron’s employer, should not have representation on the Commission, which advises City Council on energy matters.”

A2P2 president Greg Woodring is scheduled to speak at the rally along with University of Michigan’s Fridays for Future president Brendan Ireland and Michelle Deatrick, founder of the Democratic National Committee Environment and Climate Crisis Council.

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In its release, A2P2 stated several reasons for its opposition to Cameron including his employer’s (DTE’s) fossil fuel generation, the company’s opposition to legislation expanding renewable energy options and the marketing around DTE’s MIGreenPower program.

There would also be a conflict of interest should Ann Arbor create a sustainable energy utility, which would compete with DTE, A2P2 said.

See the full list of reasons below: