COLUMBUS, Ohio—On Tuesday afternoon, the House passed their second and final version of the energy bill, which some see as a blatant bailout for Ohio’s struggling nuclear power and coal plants.

  • Subsidizes nuclear and coal power plants, while cutting renewable energy mandates
  • Redirects $150 million annually to support FirstEnergy Solutions
  • Ohio utility customers wiill pay $1.50 a month starting Jan.1, and an additional 85 cents a month in 2021

“You’re extending the bailout of 60+year-old coal plants, one of which isn’t even in Ohio…it’s in Indiana…you’re extending this bailout through 2030, and you’re forcing all Ohioans to pay for it,” said Neil Waggoner, Sierra Club Ohio.

House Bill 6 will shovel $150 million annually to the Nuclear Generation Fund—whose main benefactor is FirstEnergy Solutions, a privately-owned company.

All while gutting the state’s mandates for green energy.

Starting January 1, Ohio utility customers will be pitching in an extra $1.50 a month.

And starting in 2021, they will be paying an additional 85 cents a month.

But sponsors of the bill, like Rep. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro), say customers will actually be saving money.

“Does this help save Ohioans money? And the answer is yes,” said Wilkin.

He says ratepayers will collectively see a total savings of $1.3 billion on their electric bills.  

Those savings come at the cost of eliminating renewable energy mandates, which currently run customers about $4.75 a month.

Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) agrees.

“is this a bailout?  Yes …a bail out for rate payers,” said Householder.

Other’s aren’t sold on that promise, or that math.

“There is no benefit to constituents from House Bill 6. Everyone is going to pay more every single month with this bill, for years to come,” said Waggoner.

Waggoner says cutting efficiency requirements comes at a great cost, environmentally and financially.

“What the House and Senate are doing with House Bill 6 is they are getting rid of energy efficiency programs—programs that by law, have to save more money than they cost,” said Waggoner. “These programs, when you’re spending money on your bill, they are resulting in lower energy costs overall. So, when you get rid of those programs and you add a new cost that has no savings attached to it, bills are just going up.”