Shocking ‘Secret Plan’ to Bankrupt Mississippi Power Plan Will Kill Jobs, Hurt Mississippi Families, Damage State

Earlier this morning, JobKeeper received a stunning email that reveals a secret plan by extremist environmentalists to bankrupt and destroy the Mississippi Power Company, a bankruptcy that will harm consumers, kill jobs and damage the state.

The email, sent by blogger Eddie Curran of Mobile, focused on comments made by Thomas Blanton, a candidate for Mississippi Public Service Commission and outspoken critic of the Kemper project, a new power plant that gasifies lignite coal to generate electricity.

Blanton reveals a long-term plan to manipulate the value of Mississippi Power, shove the company into bankruptcy, then swoop in and buy the weakened company at a much lower cost, all at the expense of Mississippi working families.

Blanton said plans are underway for parties to buy Mississippi Power’s assets, such as at auction or out of bankruptcy court.

Blanton revealed that he has “lined up a $600 million payment-to-arbitrage loan” as part of a secret plan to “take over Mississippi Power.” According to the email, Blanton stated that the Public Service Commission has the authority to revoke Mississippi Power’s “certificate” to operate in the state.

“Alternatives include removing their certification to operate the utility (and to) take the company away from them,” Blanton told Curran, adding that another option would be to turn the company assets into an electric cooperative. Keep in mind that Mississippi Power has operated for nearly a hundred years, has about 1,250 employees, and serves more than 180,000 customers. This is no minor undertaking.

“I don’t need to be blowing a bugle before anything happens,” Blanton explained, telling Curran that the secret plan for parties to take over Mississippi Power is planned for next summer.

Clearly, these extremists care more about their own political agenda than they do about the future of Mississippi, an agenda and plan that will have a devastating impact on Mississippi families, who will be the most hurt if the Mississippi Power Company is destroyed.

Once candidate Blanton realized that blogger Curran planned to write about the secret plan to destroy Mississippi Power, Blanton immediately tried to cover up the disclosure, asking Curran not to report on the conversation.

It is completely fair to have disagreements and lively debate on energy and public policy. Such debate is both expected and needed. But in this case, Blanton and his extremists friends have crossed an important line, working methodically to destroy Mississippi Power for political gain, and perhaps, even personal gain.

Blanton personally filed a lawsuit that resulted in Mississippi Power being forced to refund $350 million to the company’s customers. It is worth noting that both Blanton and Curran disagree with JobKeeper’s position on the Kemper plant.

Blanton’s comments are truly shocking and raise a number of questions about opposition to Kemper by him and others.

Did Thomas Blanton file his lawsuit just to devalue Mississippi Power so it could be bought cheaply?

What is Blanton’s personal stake in the planned takeover of the company?

If he had an interest, is that legal?

Should his actions preclude him from serving on the Public Service Commission?

Who else is involved in this conspiracy to destroy one of Mississippi’s largest companies and employers? Who are the “buyers” working with Blanton?

Where do other PSC candidates stand on this matter, and will they vote to rescind Mississippi Power’s certification to operate?

Aside from Blanton, the most active voice in opposition has been a group called Bigger Pie Forum. Are they connected to the effort to buy out Mississippi Power? Are their questionable ties to the natural gas industry part of the secret plan?

Mississippi voters, and particularly customers of Mississippi Power, are entitled to answers to these questions. Candidate Blanton and his allies need to fully disclose the elements of the plan and every interest involved in the conspiracy to bankrupt Mississippi Power.

The people of the state have the right to know the names of those conspiring to manipulate the value of Mississippi Power, bankrupt the company and then make illegal profits at the expense of Mississippi and its families. Thomas Blanton is one of those people. Who else is working with him?

Hopefully state authorities will give Blanton’s comments the scrutiny they deserve and provide some answers.