Ohio
DeWine ducks Whaley’s call for debate
Nan Whaley wants a debate with the governor. But will Mike DeWine go toe to toe with his Democratic challenger? He repeatedly avoided a clear answer on the subject Friday. “We’ll see. I suspect there will be joint appearances that some of the newspapers will be having, those will be available to people to watch […]
Utility regulators freeze investigations into FirstEnergy bribes
Ohio’s utility regulators froze investigations Wednesday into a massive bribery campaign from FirstEnergy Corp. that implicated their former chairman, stating they did so to defer to a parallel criminal investigation. By unanimous vote, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio paused its four investigations into FirstEnergy’s conduct. The move came at the request of Kenneth Parker, […]
Ten Ohio counties ban wind, solar projects under new state law
At least 10 Ohio counties have passed resolutions blocking the development of new utility scale wind and solar projects within all or part of their jurisdictions in the last year. The counties’ moves come after the October 2021 enactment of a state law giving the locals the veto power over renewable energy generation sites — […]
House Republicans propose free loans, tax breaks for new gas pipelines
Two state House Republicans proposed legislation to give some natural gas pipeline developers state-funded tax breaks and interest-free loans, while allowing them to add a surcharge to ratepayers’ monthly bills. Reps. Jay Edwards, of Nelsonville, and Jon Cross, of Kenton, proposed House Bill 685 to aid communities that they say lose out on economic gains […]
Coal plant subsidies from pay-for-play legislation have cost Ohioans $173 million
Ohioans have paid $173 million to cover the losses of three Ohio utility companies’ investments in two coal-fired power plants since 2020, thanks in part to a recent law that’s now in the center of a criminal public corruption investigation. By year’s end, the tab since Jan. 1, 2020 on the Clifty Creek coal plant […]
DOJ asks regulators to back off investigation into FirstEnergy bribery case
Federal prosecutors who brought a sweeping criminal case against FirstEnergy Corp. and Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder are now asking state regulators to hold off on their own investigations into the matter. In a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Kenneth L. Parker, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, asked […]
Texts, calendars, emails link DeWine to FirstEnergy’s bribery scandal
Gov. Mike DeWine and his administration played a hands-on role passing an allegedly pay-for-play nuclear bailout and appointing an industry-friendly regulator who has since been accused of taking a $4.3 million bribe, documents and messages show. Calendar records show DeWine, a Republican, met repeatedly to discuss energy policy with FirstEnergy Corp. officials and at least […]
LaRose makes criminal referrals; says non-citizens registered to vote
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent 11 criminal referrals Wednesday for purported election crimes from “non-citizens” to the Ohio Attorney General. They include 10 people who allegedly registered to vote but never cast a ballot, and one who “may have voted illegally,” according to LaRose. The referrals came via a 2016 Ohio law that […]
Ohio Supreme Court upholds permit for offshore wind farm on Lake Erie
The Ohio Supreme Court upheld a decision Wednesday granting a permit for developers to build the nation’s first offshore, freshwater wind farm off the coast of Lake Erie. In a 6-1 ruling, the court rejected arguments from Bratenahl residents who claimed the wind turbines posed a lethal threat to birds and bats. The justices sided […]
Judge scolds former GOP chairman, forbids him from intimidating whistleblower
A federal judge lambasted a suspect in a criminal public corruption case for posting a FBI informant’s social security number and address on the internet. U.S. District Judge Timothy Black said he finds it “entirely incredible” that lobbyist and former GOP Chairman Matt Borges accidentally posted the information of the whistleblower online, as Borges claimed. […]
Utility regulator accused of taking a bribe helped write bill targeting watchdog
Ohio’s former top utility regulator, who was accused of taking a $4.3 million bribe, quietly spent months helping write a sweeping energy bill that targeted a state watchdog agency that advocates for Ohio’s residential electric customers, records show. Emails that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio gave in response to two FBI subpoenas show its […]
After suing to delay a primary, LaRose blasts using courts to change election law
With COVID-19 quickly emerging as a new and lethal public health risk, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose joined the governor in announcing a bold and controversial move. They had organized plaintiffs, all in fragile states of health, to file a lawsuit in an effort to move Ohio’s March 2020 primary that was slated to […]