Report: Coal Overpayments Followed $250K Donation to Householder’s Dark Money Group

According to a report from the Checks and Balances Project — a watchdog group — a Columbus-based coal company received $12.6 million above market prices to supply one of the 1950s-era coal plants subsidized by Ohio’s 2019 nuclear and coal bailout law.

The 2020 overpayment to Resource Fuels is notable because the company in 2018 donated $250,000 to the dark money group formed by former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who’s now serving a 20-year sentence for his role in the House Bill 6 scandal. Ohio ratepayers subsidized $4.2 million of this overpayment, experts say.

News stories note the watchdog’s report relied heavily on testimony filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio by John Seryak, the OMA’s energy engineer and expert witness for the OMA Energy Group, which is contesting the HB 6 subsidies provided to the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation.

As reported earlier, the PUCO’s hearing examiners last week struck key parts of Seryak’s testimony, as requested by AEP and Duke. The OMA is appealing the decision. 11/14/2023