House and Senate Have Now Approved Repeal of HB 6 Nuclear Subsidies, Decoupling

This week, the Ohio House voted 86-7 to approve OMA-supported House Bill 128, legislation to repeal up to $150 million a year in nuclear generation subsidies authorized by House Bill 6. Also included in HB 128 are a repeal and refund of HB 6’s decoupling provisions and the “significantly excessive earnings” language authorized in the last state budget (HB 166) – both changes that benefited FirstEnergy.

The bill now goes to the Senate, which last week passed a similar repeal (Senate Bill 44). According to Gongwer News Service, Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) has said he won’t object if House leaders want HB 128 to be the lead vehicle for HB 6 subsidies repeal. “At this point, I think it’s a matter of getting that issue behind us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Mansfield) has introduced two more bills to address HB 6 policy. Senate Bill 117 would repeal HB 6 subsidies for Ohio Valley Electric Corp. (OVEC) coal plants — including one in Indiana — and refund customers for those charges. Senate Bill 118 would repeal the up to $20 million a year in subsidies for five utility-scale solar projects. 3/10/2021