Unanimous Progress as Senate Approves 21st Century Energy Bill Powering Ohio's Future

The Ohio Senate unanimously approved a 21st Century Energy plan that prioritizes baseload power projects with an emphasis on reliability, affordability and accountability for Ohio consumers. Ohio's natural gas reserves bring a reliable source of energy, while removing the additional cost of "riders" on power bills brings both affordability and accountability to Ohio rate payers.

“This is a major step forward in meeting Ohio’s ever changing power needs,” said President Rob McColley. “We wanted to do more than just enough to keep the lights on, my colleagues and I prioritized a policy that makes Ohio a net exporter of power.”

Senate Bill 2 also establishes Priority Investment Areas (PIA’s) for new power generation projects. This is key to revitalizing brownfields and even decommissioned coal power plant sites for new generation projects.

“I want to thank my colleagues for taking a truly visionary approach to what Ohio’s power policy should look like in the 21st Century,” said Senator Bill Reineke who sponsored SB 2. “I’m confident that these reforms will not only place Ohio among the top power suppliers, but also provide the reliability and accountability that should come with that for consumers.”

Ohio is well positioned to contribute baseload power in part due to significant access to clean natural gas as a reliable and affordable fuel source,” said Senate Energy Chairman Brian Chavez. “Senate Bill 2 incentivizes new baseload generation by reducing the tangible personal property tax (TPP) on electricity generation projects and the infrastructure associated with those projects.”

Watch Senate President Rob McColley, Senator Shane Wilkin who chairs the Senate's Public Utilities Committee, and Senate Bill 2 sponsor Senator Bill Reineke talk about this game changing strategy designed to make Ohio an energy exporter on this week's President's Podcast.

Click here for more photos of this week's Senate Session.