Energy bill stalls in Ohio statehouse for nearly a year
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – There are several energy-related bills moving through the Ohio Statehouse but only one has made it across the finish line, despite a sense of urgency from leadership.
“It’s a big issue,” Speaker of the Ohio House Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said.
Stephens said the state needs new energy policy, especially to ensure a reliable grid.
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“We need to make sure we’ve got that electrical supply here in Ohio not just for the economic development, but for that bad weather stretch,” Stephens said on December 14, 2023, “So these are all important things to think about.”
But despite several bills, in both chambers, being introduced, only one energy-related bill has made it to the governor’s desk. House Bill 201 was signed by the governor last year and became effective in March. That bill gives more flexibility to public utilities to add extra costs to consumer bills to help those companies develop natural gas lines after a “strict” approval process.
A spokesperson for Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said they are a “big supporter” of natural gas generation to help provide energy to Ohio’s grid. But despite there being more than a dozen utility-related bills in the senate, none have had a vote and some have not had a hearing since last year.
Legislation, like House Bill 79, for example, was voted out of committee last June, but has still not gotten a floor vote.
“We’re discussing that in caucus and discussing it with members,” Stephens said. “It’s a bill I support, and I think it’s part of the bigger broader energy situation that we have here in Ohio.”
HB79 is an energy efficiency bill that supporters say should, in theory, help consumers save on their bills and help reduce excess energy use. It is legislation that has garnered bipartisan support.
“I think this is a good bill,” Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. “It’s about energy efficiency, it’s about saving consumers money.”
“I think it’s important that we encourage generation in Ohio,” Stephens said. “I think it’s also important that we do what we can to curve the demand curve as well and to encourage efficiency.”
Russo said she thinks HB79 is sound and there are reasons beyond the statehouse walls to thank for it being stalled.
“I’m not even sure that it’s as much about the policy as it is about the politics,” she said. “My sense is that you’ve got some outside groups that are leaning in on member sand putting pressure.”
In the state budget there were some energy provisions, but nothing to create more reliable energy sources and directly address what some lawmakers call the imminent energy cliff.
Despite the call for new laws and new reliable resources, two Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC) coal plants still rely on a consistent stream of revenue, from Ohioans, to stay afloat.
But new bills are still being introduced to help address the issue, like House Bill 349, a $20 million natural gas bill. Sponsors of HB349 said they are hopeful it continues to move forward and is on the House floor within these next few weeks.
Stephens said it is a work in progress to ensure all bases are covered when it comes to reliable and efficient energy.
“It’s a good problem to have in the sense that we have so much development that we don’t have the electricity,” he said. “So, we need to be sure we are working on all sides of that.”
Ohio House sources told NBC4 they should be moving things out of committee “in the near future.”
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