Here’s a summary of recent energy-related developments the OMA is tracking:

• A new study finds that closing Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline would force Ohio families and businesses to pay more than $2.7 billion more for transportation fuel every year.
• Oil could reach $240 per barrel over the coming months if countries more heavily sanction Russian exports, say analysts with Rystad Energy.
• The average gasoline price in Ohio now exceeds $4 a gallon, according to AAA’s interactive map. Here are the latest oil and natural gas prices in the U.S.
• Energy prices were the main driver of last month’s 7.9% spike in year-over-year consumer prices, according to this chart from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Reports say Congress may consider overturning FERC’s new requirement to take climate change into greater consideration when reviewing fossil fuel energy projects.

Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has announced it will hire an auditor to examine whether any customer money collected by FirstEnergy was improperly used to pay for lobbying or political work to pass the corrupt House Bill 6, which the OMA opposed from the beginning. 3/10/2022