OMA to House Panel: Strip New Utility Giveaway!

Four years after the scandal-ridden House Bill 6 was catapulted through the Ohio General Assembly, some lawmakers seem intent on providing blank checks to monopoly electric utilities.

The House substitute version of the state budget (House Bill 33) was unveiled this week. Buried in the 5,364 pages are new provisions that would allow utilities to collect unlimited costs from customers for projects deemed to be “economic development” or “infrastructure.”

The provisions would bypass existing regulatory protections that prevent utilities from over-collecting. The regulatory process already allows utilities to recover economic development and infrastructure costs, as long as regulators find the investments are “used and useful” to customers.

Kim Bojko, the OMA’s chief energy counsel, appeared before the House Finance Committee on April 20 to explain why the provisions should be removed from the budget bill. Read her testimony. 4/20/2023