(The Center Square) – More than five years after House Bill 6 was signed into law and almost two years after the former House speaker was convicted of racketeering related to the bill, Ohio Democrats continue to push for its repeal.
Proposed legislation to stop and refund Ohio taxpayer subsidies being paid to two coal-fired power plants – one in Indiana – owned by Ohio Valley Electric Coop is coming back to the Statehouse just days after two former First Energy officials were indicted on federal racketeering charges.
It all comes from the billion-dollar bailout of Ohio’s nuclear energy companies from House Bill 6, signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019. It resulted in the largest corruption scandal in state history. Former House Speaker Larry Householder was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for his involvement. Former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges is also in prison for his involvement.
Householder lost his speakership and was expelled from the chamber in June 2021.
Since 2019, Ohio taxpayers have paid Ohio Valley Electric $150 million annually and are scheduled to pay $1.1 billion by 2030.
The nuclear bailout part of House Bill 6 was repealed during the 2021-22 General Assembly session, but the taxpayer money being sent to Ohio Valley remains in place despite Democrats’ efforts to stop it since 2021.
Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan, D-Parma, plans to reintroduce House Bill 120 to stop the payments. He introduced the same bill in the last session, but it failed to pass.
The bill would also require full repayments of subsidies collected by Ohio Valley Electric and stop and future customer-paid subsidies to the coal-fired plants.
“My duty as an elected official is to serve honorably and make the lives of those I serve better,” Brennan said. “This legislation serves both goals by eliminating the vestiges of a bill born out of corruption, and providing residents with some needed financial relief. Protecting Ohio families should be a goal of all public servants. To that end, I hope that we can find bipartisan support for this bill.”
Late last week, former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former Senior Vice President Michael Dowling were indicted by a federal grand jury for their part in the HB6 scandal.
