COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio House has voted to repeal aspects of scandal-ridden legislation that force ratepayers to spend hundreds of millions per year on an out-of-state and unprofitable coal plant.
The largest scandal in state history revolved around bribery legislation from 2019 called House Bill 6.
Part of it provided subsidies that require ratepayers to fund two Ohio Valley Electric Coalition (OVEC) coal plants — one that isn’t even in the state. The main beneficiaries for OVEC are American Electric Power Company (AEP), Duke Energy, and AES Ohio. FirstEnergy collects payment.
Lawmakers passed bipartisan H.B. 15, which, in part, would revoke those subsidies. The bill passed nearly unanimously.
More about what H.B. 15 entails can be found here.
RELATED: Ohio House committee tees up its own energy plan after Senate approves overhaul
"I have spent my entire time in this building, for the last almost 5 years, working in the shadow of House Bill 6... House Bill 6 was a tax then. It's a tax now and we can finally put this entire ridiculous episode behind us by voting yes today on House Bill 15," said longtime hater of H.B. 6 Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville).
He was joined by several Democrats and state Rep. Josh Williams in their argument against the taxes on Ohioans and corruption.
"The band-aid needs to be ripped off; The state of Ohio needs to recover," Williams said. "We need to survive past this scandal, and this is the last pillar of the largest scandal in our state's history, and this industry should understand that when you go behind closed doors and bribe a member of this chamber, including the speaker, that any deal you got as a result is gonna be null and void when that bribe is discovered."
Only three voted against it — former Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and state Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus).
"I understand and respect your— the corruption that everyone wants to attach to House Bill 6," Jones said. "I was here for House Bill 6 — it's the lens in which you look at it through."
He continued that his county has about 700 coal miners who rely on these plants.
Some lawmakers, like Stewart and state Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville), had been trying to eliminate the subsidies but were blocked by then-Speaker Stephens. With Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) in leadership, it was created and then passed.
Stephens spoke on the floor arguing against the repeal, noting that one of the OVEC plants is in his district.
"To say we have not looked at this since House Bill 6 is simply not true," he said. "When Ohio makes a promise, whether we like the promise or not... We should honor that."
He explained that in the previous General Assembly, part of H.B. 6 was repealed, but the lawmakers chose to keep the coal plant money. Then in the 134th G.A., lawmakers passed H.B. 128 — which took out funding for nuclear power plants.
But this is Huffman's time now.
"This money doesn't go to Lawrence County to help that plant," the speaker told reporters after the vote, referencing Stephens' comments. "It goes in Duke's checking account in Charlotte, North Carolina, and they decide over many states, not necessarily to spend any money."
These taxpayer hikes need to be gone immediately, he added earlier in the day.
"These companies are getting billions and billions of dollars of rates paid to them by many ratepayers over states," Huffman said.
How we got here
Back in 2019, former House Speaker Larry Householder, now a convicted felon, took a $61 million bribe in exchange for legislation to give FirstEnergy a $1 billion bailout at taxpayer expense.
In March 2023, a jury found that Householder and former GOP leader Matt Borges, beyond a reasonable doubt, participated in the racketeering scheme that left four men guilty and another dead by suicide.
RELATED: Jury finds former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and co-defendant Matt Borges guilty
In late June that year, federal judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to 20 years in prison. Borges got five years. The two surviving defendants — Jeff Longstreth and Juan Cespedes — took plea agreements early on, helping the FBI, and are still awaiting their sentencing. The feds are asking for zero to six months for them.
Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones, former FirstEnergy Senior Vice President Michael Dowling, and former Public Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo were all hit with state bribery charges. Each pleaded not guilty during their joint arraignment in mid-February 2024. They are accused of masterminding the corruption scheme.
In April 2024, Randazzo would become the second defendant accused in the scandal to die by suicide. Neil Clark, a lobbyist accused of bribery, killed himself after pleading not guilty in 2021.
RELATED: DeWine, Husted won't comment on Randazzo's death amid corruption trial
Recently, Householder's attorney told me that his team plans to use their connection to President-elect Donald Trump to try to get out of prison.
RELATED: Larry Householder using Trump 'connections’ to try to get out of prison
I have covered this bribery scandal extensively — from the legislation going through the Statehouse, the arrests, trial, conviction and sentencing of Householder and former GOP leader Matt Borges.
RELATED: New texts allegedly show Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted leading FirstEnergy's push for House Bill 6
A study commissioned by the Ohio Manufacturers' Association found that in 2024 alone, these subsidies cost ratepayers roughly $200 million. The company lost more than $100 million the same year, so consumers are paying for plants that aren't profitable.
"HB 6’s OVEC subsidies currently require Ohio’s residential utility customers to pay between $1.30 and $1.50 per month, depending on whether their utility is owned by AEP, AES Ohio, Duke Energy or FirstEnergy," according to the Energy News Network.
This has been happening for years, with no change from the Statehouse until now.
In the summer of 2024, I discovered and reported on more texts alleging that the governor and lieutenant governor helped push forward H.B. 6 and got a playbook from FirstEnergy on how to convince others, according to FirstEnergy executives.
RELATED: New texts show FirstEnergy allegedly working with Gov. DeWine to pass House Bill 6
"When you're dealing with any issue in regard to utilities, any issue in regard to energy — there's always the question, 'Who pays?' and the goal, of course, is always to be as fair as as you can," DeWine told reporters in January.
I questioned the governor on "fairness."
"We're still paying for a coal plant in Indiana, the OVEC plant that we don't even know if—" I said, getting cut off.
"Yeah... I'm fine if that is certainly taken out," DeWine responded.
RELATED: DeWine supports repeal of remaining scandal-ridden FirstEnergy legislation
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
