The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that lawmakers in the Ohio House are expected to repeal a $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants that federal investigators say was at the heart of a state bribery scandal.
In a dramatic shift from 2019, state lawmakers are working to dismantle ratepayer-funded subsidies previously seen as essential to keeping two nuclear plants in northern Ohio afloat.
In the months since the controversial House Bill 6 passed, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was arrested in connection with a $61 million bribery scheme to elect him leader of the House, pass the nuclear bailout and defend it against a ballot initiative to block the law.
"House Bill 6 was a bill that I supported and voted for at the time, said Rep. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville. "Since that time, we've had indictments, we've had people plead guilty, we've had executives of corporations be turned away, fired. It wasn't the same bill that we voted for now that we know everything that was involved in that bill."
House Bill 128, which is set for a vote today, March 10, would ax subsidies for the Energy Harbor plants, eliminate a FirstEnergy fee meant to keep the company "recession-proof" and repeal a benefit that helped a subsidiary avoid refunding customers for significantly excessive profits.
A Tuesday amendment to the bill would keep $20 million a year in subsidies for previously approved solar projects, which would drop the monthly fee from 85 cents to 10 cents for residential customers and from $2,400 to $242 for industrial customers.
Householder lost his leadership role but not his seat. He will have a opportunity to vote on whether to repeal the nuclear subsidies alongside his colleagues.
The changes align with two bills that recently passed the Ohio Senate, making it clear that the GOP-controlled Legislature's plan is to pick House Bill 6 apart rather than repeal it altogether.
Rep. Laura Lanese, R-Grove City, wanted to eliminate fees for the Piketon-based Ohio Valley Electric Corporation's two coal plants, which were approved by utility regulators and extended by state lawmakers to 2030. She called the partnership a bad deal for utility companies tied up in it and Ohio ratepayers funding it.
"When we distort the market with these kinds of subsidies, we kill other jobs," Lanese said.
Read more in the Cincinnati Enquirer.