It is outrageous that Ohio utility ratepayers continue to subsidize coal-fired plants owned by American Electric Power, Duke Energy, and AES Ohio as part of the bribery conspiracy to bail out FirstEnergy nuclear plants.
The coal plant subsidies were part of former House Speaker Larry Householder’s grand plan to win support for House Bill 6 by eliminating opposition from the other Ohio utilities. After the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice by FirstEnergy admitting payment of $61 million in bribes to pass the bailout legislation, the nuclear plant subsidies were repealed.
Incredibly, thanks to legislative laxity, the coal plants still have their special deal, including an AEP plant in Indiana. Thanks to Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, this affront to honest government continues.
The GOP representative elevated to power by House Democrats has shelved a Democrat-sponsored bill to eliminate the coal plant subsidies. Mr. Stephens has one of the coal plants in his district, and he’s using his power over the legislative agenda to make the bill disappear from the House Public Utilities Committee. That protects $700 million Ohioans will pay the utilities.
It is evidence we had it right when slamming House Democrats for compounding their error of providing Larry Householder with the Speaker’s gavel by putting Mr. Stephens in power (“Editorial: D’s pick wrong speaker,” Jan 5).
Democrats opposed Toledo-area Republican Derek Merrin, the GOP caucus selection for Speaker, because he was committed to putting State Issue 1 on the ballot for an August special election. Speaker Stephens’ claimed opposition to the special election now looks more like a ruse than a principled position and reveals House Democrats as hapless fools.
The bill to repeal corrupt coal subsidies has two Democratic sponsors and 31 co-sponsors, including Mr. Merrin. The Monclova Township Republican has his own scandal response: an ethics reform bill he pledged to make House Bill 1 as Speaker, ignored, thanks to the Democrats leadership vote.
House Democrats made Jason Stephens Speaker, and they can unmake him. Only 22 Republicans voted for Mr. Stephens as Speaker. Assuming House Democrats can count, they should immediately use the power of their 32 votes and insert Mr. Merrin into the Speaker’s post and earn political credit for reviving stalled reform in the wake of Ohio’s Statehouse RICO scandal.
