Senate OKs Nuke Plant Bailout on 19-12 Vote

Wednesday night, the Ohio Senate voted 19-12 to approve House Bill 6, legislation that will heavily subsidize Ohio’s two nuclear power plants, along with two coal-fired plants — one of which is in Indiana! The vote followed hours of rancorous debate and a KEY VOTE ALERT issued by the OMA, urging senators to vote no. Find out how your state senator voted.

In his floor speech, Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee Chair Steve Wilson (R-Maineville) said that “the real winners of this legislation is the ratepayer.” Ratepayer groups, including the OMA, oppose HB 6 because it will require Ohio businesses and families to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in new charges annually, while distorting the energy marketplace — which has been delivering lower generation costs and innovation.

Others who spoke in support of the legislation included Sens. Theresa Gavarone, Sandra Williams, Dave Burke, John Eklund, Lou Terhar, and Minority Leader Kenny Yuko. Speaking against the bill were Sens. Joe Uecker, Cecil Thomas, and Bill Coley. Watch the Senate floor debate beginning at the 1:51:35 mark. 7/18/2019