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

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

Perry Nuclear Power Plant
Perry Nuclear Power Plant [Dan Konik | Statehouse News Bureau]
The suit from Attorney General Dave Yost seeks to immediately stop the collection of $2.35 in monthly charges on all Ohio electric bills. Those charges would start January 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 he 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 itself and 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.