Ohio House Takes Aim at ‘Foreign Ownership’

As fallout from the failed referendum effort to overturn Ohio’s nuclear subsidy law (HB 6), customers and developers of new power plants seem to be the target of political retribution. This week, the sponsors of a proposed constitutional amendment presented testimony in support of House Joint Resolution 2. The measure would place an amendment to Ohio’s constitution on the statewide ballot, enabling Ohioans to cast a vote to bar foreign interests from controlling “critical energy infrastructure” in Ohio.

In their testimony, the resolution’s sponsors — State Reps. Don Manning (R-New Middletown) and Jamie Callender (R-Concord Township) invoked language reminiscent of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. The proposal is extremely troubling on a policy level. If approved, it could have dire consequences for power customers and Ohio’s economy. It also establishes a precedent of prohibiting foreign investment of business in Ohio.

Read this overview of the resolution prepared by OMA general counsel at Bricker & Eckler. 10/31/2019