Craig Celebrates Passage of Energy Overhaul Legislation

Today, state Senator Hearcel F. Craig (D-Columbus) commended the Ohio Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 2, which makes significant changes to Ohio’s energy policies to protect consumers, increase power generation, and improve the state’s electric grid.

“The Ohio Valley Electric Corporation subsidies for aging and uncompetitive coal plants, both in and out of our state, are finally coming to an end. Ohio ratepayers will no longer have to bail out monopoly utilities for their poor business decisions,” said Craig. “I’ve sponsored and advocated for repealing these OVEC subsidies for years now, and I applaud the efforts of my colleagues to include this provision in this important piece of legislation.”

If passed, Senate Bill 2 would:

• Promote accountability and transparency for consumers by requiring utilities to routinely come in for rate cases and justify how they spend ratepayer-collected money;
• Immediately end the “Legacy Generation Rider” so that Ohioans no longer have to foot the bill for OVEC subsidies, saving Ohio ratepayers nearly $450,000 per day;
• Create a permissive school energy efficiency loan program to reduce energy costs for public schools; and
• Protect consumers by codifying that they receive refunds for improper charges.

Senate Bill 2 now heads to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.