Letter to the editor: Passage of H.B. 120 would reinstate better energy standards

With all the buzz around the upcoming election, we are not paying enough attention to what’s happening in our state.

Ohio House Bill 6 was one of the largest scandals in Ohio history, and we all took a major blow when it was put into effect. But even as the corruption was revealed, a full repeal of the bill was never put into place.

We are still paying (literally) for the passing of this bill. It has been four years since it was discovered that $60 million of bribes were used to put this bill into effect. Yet every month, Ohioans still have to pay a subsidy on their power bill for two coal-fired power plants, one of which isn’t even located in Ohio.

Not only are we paying with our cash, but we are paying with our health by allowing harmful pollutants to enter the air. These coal-powered plants release a dangerous pollutant called particulate matter 2.5 (or PM 2.5), which according to a recent Harvard study increases all-cause mortality by 26% and is the cause of 350,000 premature deaths in the United States alone. Ohio has one of the highest number of deaths per capita in the nation due to pollution, the study concluded.

These staggering numbers are why we should push for the enactment of House Bill 120, which would lead to the repeal of House Bill 6. This would reinstate energy standards that would improve the health of all Ohioans and put money back into our pockets.

James Richard Brown IV, Perry Township

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Letter to the editor: H.B. 120 would reinstate better energy standards