Lawmakers take another shot at turning back Ohio House Bill 6
(The Center Square) – The Ohio General Assembly keeps taking swing after swing in an attempt to knock out House Bill 6, a billion-dollar nuclear energy bill passed more than a year ago that lead to what federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption scandal in state history.
The latest attempt comes from Reps. Jim Hoops, R-Napolean, and Dick Stein, R-Norwalk, who introduced legislation to repeal the nuclear and solar bailout money created by HB 6.
Stein said in a news release several federal changes since HB 6 passed make the energy subsidy unnecessary to keep the state’s two nuclear power plants open. The two plants now are owned by Energy Harbor.
The bill also would eliminate the decoupling provision in HB 6 and calls for consumer refunds to ratepayers for fees collected on the decoupling provision and the “significant excessive earnings test.” Each provision benefited FirstEnergy.
“These are issues that have been the subject of much debate, and I believe there’s broad consensus that these steps are sound public policy that support jobs, our economy and ratepayers,” Hoops said. “The average ratepayer has already seen a decrease in their rates due to House Bill 6, and with the proposed changes in House Bill 128, customers will now see further ratepayer protections.”
HB 6 created a new Ohio Clean Air Program to support nuclear energy plants and some solar power facilities. Electricity consumers fund the program with the surcharge that runs through 2027.
It led to the arrest and indictment of Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder, R-Glenford, and four others as part of a $60 million “public corruption racketeering conspiracy” to pass the legislation.
Five people were indicted, and two people and the nonprofit organization Generation Now recently pleaded guilty.
The effort to repeal, replace or alter HB 6 began during the last General Assembly with several bills filed. Only one introduced by Hoops, who chaired a special select committee aimed at the issue, managed to get past a committee.
That bill proposed stopping the collection of at least $170 million in nuclear and solar funding. The nuclear bailout bill added a fee to every electric bill in Ohio and raised nearly $1 billion for the nuclear industry.
Since then, Ohio cities, along with Attorney General Dave Yost, filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping the fee, the collection and other energy company benefits contained in the legislation.
Yost announced an agreement with FirstEnergy earlier this month that includes the company giving up what could have been a $120 million windfall in 2021, and Ohio put on hold its ongoing lawsuit relating the state’s nuclear bailout law.
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