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After Householder and Borges sentences, what — or who — comes next?
U.S. District Judge Timothy Black sentenced former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder to 20 years in federal prison and gave lobbyist Matt Borges a five-year sentence for their roles in Ohio’s House Bill 6 corruption scandal. Here’s what to expect next, plus an update on other developments: Appeals by Householder and Borges will likely raise […]
Hydrogen, nuclear among winners in last-minute changes to Ohio budget bill
Policies for new utility charges, natural gas, nuclear power promotion and solar energy were scattered throughout the 6,198-page two-year budget bill passed by Ohio lawmakers on June 30. Line item vetoes released in the wee hours of July 4 cut some terms and modified others. Ohio’s two-year budget bills have grown in recent years into […]
Ohio utilities could resume energy efficiency programs under bipartisan bill
A bipartisan proposal advancing in the Republican-controlled Ohio House would allow gas and electric utilities to reintroduce programs designed to help customers save energy. Prior utility-run programs to reduce electricity use ended after Ohio’s energy efficiency standard was gutted as part of House Bill 6, the 2019 law at the heart of the state’s still […]
Ohio and Michigan groups aim to boost underrepresented entrepreneurs in clean energy
Technology accelerator groups in Ohio and Michigan are launching a joint program to bring the benefits of the clean energy transition to more people from underrepresented groups. BRITE Energy Innovators in Warren, Ohio, and the Centrepolis Accelerator in Southfield, Michigan, plan to combine the strengths of their core programs to help startup clean energy businesses […]
HB 6 coal plant charges mount up again in Ohio
Ohio ratepayers will again shell out money for two 1950s-era coal plants next month, following a year of cents-per-month credits. Meanwhile, regulators have yet to rule on years-old challenges to millions of dollars of spending for the plants. Critics have called the charges a bailout and have tried multiple times to repeal the coal plant […]
Ohio solar projects face an unclear path around local opposition
Ohio clean energy advocates say a string of solar project denials by state regulators has left renewable energy developers uncertain about the role of public input in permit decisions. Critics claim the Ohio Power Siting Board has been inconsistent and arbitrary in recent months with how it weighs local opposition as it balances the pros […]
What can Ohio regulators do to prevent future utility corruption scandals?
This article is provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism, in partnership with the nonprofit Energy News Network. Please join the free mailing lists for Eye on Ohio or the Energy News Network, as this helps provide more public service reporting. Regulators taking proactive steps could reduce the risk of […]
Householder and Borges plan to ask judge to reverse guilty verdicts and allow a new trial
This monthly newsletter provides updates on Ohio’s ongoing utility corruption scandal and is a joint project of Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism, and the nonprofit Energy News Network. Got a question? Story idea? Send tips or comments to [email protected]. Lawyers for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges said they […]
Ohio higher-ed bill would require instructors to teach ‘both sides’ on climate change
Ohio college and university instructors could be barred from teaching climate science without also including false or misleading counterpoints under a sprawling higher education bill that received its first hearing last week. Senate Bill 83, or the Higher Education Enhancement Act, seeks to police classroom speech on a wide range of topics, including climate change, […]
What the guilty verdicts in Ohio’s corruption case mean for energy policy and good government
This article is provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism, in partnership with the nonprofit Energy News Network. Please join the free mailing lists for Eye on Ohio or the Energy News Network, as this helps provide more public service reporting. Jurors in Ohio’s House Bill 6 criminal corruption case […]
Advocates seek to boost clean energy program in latest Farm Bill renewal
Drew Bowman’s free-range turkeys don’t use much electricity. Getting their meat to customers, though, from slaughter and processing to packaging and chilling, is an extremely energy-intensive process. Rising electricity prices have been among the biggest factors driving up turkey farmers’ costs in recent years. Bowman, co-owner of Bowman & Landes Turkeys in New Carlisle, Ohio, […]
Made-in-Ohio solar panels benefit from federal incentives, supply chain politics
A once-novel solar power technology with Ohio roots is having a moment in the sun, along with two Toledo-area manufacturers. Scientists had experimented with cadmium telluride solar panels in the lab since the 1950s, but the technology was commercialized just two decades ago after important groundwork by a pair of Ohio entrepreneurs who founded what […]