Statehouse News Bureau

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With No Repeal Of HB6 In Place, Ohio AG Sues To Stop Monthly Nuclear Bailout Charges

By Karen Kasler

Published November 13, 2020 at 7:31 PM EST

The Perry nuclear power plant, one of two that will receive subsidies from House Bill 6. [Andy Chow] — The Perry nuclear power plant, one of two that will receive subsidies from House Bill 6.

There are only a few weeks until new charges are set to hit all Ohio electric bills, and there’s still no path to repeal House Bill 6, the disputed law that created those charges. Now the state's attorney general has filed a second lawsuit involving collection of that money.

The suit from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost seeks to immediately stop the collection of $2.35 in monthly charges on all Ohio electric bills. Those charges are set to start Jan. 1 and total $150 million a year statewide – with that money bound for Ohio’s two nuclear power plants, as well as coal and solar subsidies.

A lawsuit Yost filed in September sought to allow the money to be collected but to be held from going to Energy Harbor, the former FirstEnergy subsidiary that now owns the nuclear plants. FirstEnergy said at the time it would "vigorously" defend itselfand that the case had no merit.

There are four bills at the Statehouse that would repeal the bailout. Three would seek a full repeal, while the fourth would eliminate the ratepayer subsidies bound for nuclear, coal, and solar plants but retain the cuts HB6 makes to renewable energy standards and the elimination of the energy efficiency standards.

Federal investigators say HB6 became law as part of a $61 million bribery scheme involving Republican former House Speaker Larry Householder, four other people and a utility believed to be FirstEnergy.