{
  "id": 16580285,
  "title": "Why clean energy opponents in Michigan are backing a climate activist for Congress",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/why-clean-energy-opponents-in-michigan-are-backing-a-climate-activist",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T08:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Grist",
    "slug": "grist",
    "url": "https://grist.org/elections/will-lawrence-congress-sunrise-michigan-solar-data-centers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Marjorie Steele, a Michigan-based activist, is at odds with many in the climate movement. She opposes large-scale industrial development, including data centers, solar farms, battery storage systems, and transmission lines. One of her recent targets has been a Chinese electric vehicle battery plant near Big Rapids. Steele founded the Economic Development Responsibility Alliance to oppose these developments, and she has clashed with both climate advocates and Trump-aligned conservatives. Despite her disagreements, Steele found common ground with William Lawrence, a Democrat running for U.S. Congress in Michigan's 7th District. Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, is a prominent climate organization. Steele was impressed by Lawrence's engagement during their meeting and even endorsed him later. The 7th District, where Lawrence is running, is a true swing district, making the race a crucial test for major party candidates. Lawrence's campaign has taken a unique approach by reaching out to skeptics of clean energy, including Steele, in order to build support for his campaign. The success of this strategy may determine not only control of the House of Representatives but also the country's efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.",
  "summary": "William Lawrence helped found the Sunrise Movement. Now he's running against data centers — and large-scale solar.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}