Ingram Celebrates Passage of Energy Overhaul Legislation

Today, state Senator Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) commended the Ohio Senate’s passage of House Bill 15, which makes significant changes to Ohio’s energy policies to protect consumers, increase power generation, and improve the state’s electric grid. House Bill 15 largely mirrors Senate Bill 2, which was unanimously passed by the Senate in March.

Today’s passage of House Bill 15 is a major victory for Ohio consumers,” said Senator Ingram. “This bill brings much-needed transparency, reduces unnecessary costs, and ensures that our energy policies put the people of Ohio first.”

If enacted, House Bill 15 would:

• Promote accountability and transparency for consumers by requiring utilities to routinely come in for rate cases and justify how they spend ratepayer-collected money;
• Immediately end the “Legacy Generation Rider” so that Ohioans no longer have to foot the bill for OVEC subsidies, saving Ohio ratepayers nearly $450,000 per day;
• Create a permissive school energy efficiency loan program to reduce energy costs for public schools; and
• Protect consumers by codifying that they receive refunds for improper charges.

House Bill 15 now heads back to the Ohio House of Representatives for concurrence.