The utility giant Entergy said Thursday it had not known the company was paying supporters until it conducted an investigation into claims that actors were among the backers at public hearings. It said Crowds on Demand was hired without authorization by The Hawthorn Group, a Virginia-based firm that did work for Entergy. A spokeswoman for The Hawthorn group said Friday that neither her company nor Entergy authorized the payments to supporters. Swart declined to comment and wouldn’t answer questions on the Entergy case specifically, including whether professional actors were paid to attend public hearings in support of the power plant. Plant opponents also complain that some non-profit groups that expressed support for the plant received charitable donations through an Entergy foundation.

Source: National Post May 11, 2018 20:08 UTC