Bill introduced to repeal electric plant subsidies

State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan has announced he will reintroduce House Bill120 from the 135th General Assembly, which would fully repeal and refund subsidies being paid by Ohioans to bail out two unprofitable Ohio Valley Electric Corporation coal-fired power plants – one of which is located in Indiana.
The subsidies were established in House Bill 6 of the 133rd General Assembly.
To date, Ohio consumers have been paying approximately $150 million each year in fees to OVEC, and if left untouched, Ohioans will pay roughly $1.1 billion in costs by 2030.
H.B .128 from the 134th General Assembly repealed the nuclear bailout portion of House Bill 6 that is linked to the bribery scandal involving Larry Householder, a former speaker of the House of Representatives.
However, Ohioans continue to prop up OVEC's two failing coal-fired power plants.
The bill's announcement comes after Governor Mike DeWine last week declared his support for repeal of the remaining parts of the legislation.
Additionally, it follows two indictments of two former FirstEnergy officials, former CEO Chuck Jones and ex- Senior Vice President Michael Dowling, by a federal grand jury for racketeering involving more than $60 million in bribery to pass House Bill 6, which also included the $1 billion power plant bail out.
House Bill 120 would:
-Terminate and repeal the customer-paid subsidies to two OVEC coal facilities.
-Require full repayments of all revenues collected from Ohioans to date.
-Prevent future customer-paid subsidies to two OVEC coal facilities.
-Bipartisan efforts to repeal these charges have the support of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Ohio Manufacturers' Association, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and other groups.