Report: FirstEnergy Bullied Lawmakers to Support Subsidies

A Cleveland Plain Dealer article published this week details how FirstEnergy has used its “political might” to pressure Ohio lawmakers over the past several years. The article, which profiles a former state legislator who represented the community served by Davis-Besse nuclear plant, reveals how lobbyists for the utility holding company strong-armed legislators into supporting subsidies.

Ned Hill, a professor of economic development at The Ohio State University and a critic of House Bill 6, is quoted as describing the activity as “crony capitalism” — the kind that occurs “when a business has friends in government who do it favors in exchange for cash payments and political contributions.” 8/27/2020