HouseBill6
may recommend a replacement bill.
House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, said a bill to repealHB6 has been languishing for 30 days. “At somepoint, wehave topress the issue.”
Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, has said he favors a full repeal of the bailout law. The Senate began hearings Tuesday on a repeal bill.
Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday he supportsnuclear energy, but “I thinkHB6 has beenso taintedbywhatcame out and what was disclosed that it needs to be repealed.”
DeWine signed HB6 into law in July 2019. It removes renewable energy standards and energy efficiency programsandprovides subsidies for Akron-based EnergyHarbor to keep open two Ohiobased nuclear power plants as well as smaller subsidies forcoal-firedplantsownedby the OhioValley ElectricCorp.
Energy Harbor is the new name for FirstEnergy Solutions, a former subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. Facing a fierce counter campaign, opponents of the bill failed to collect enough signatures to put the law up for a statewide referendumvote, and it took effect in October 2019.
In July, FBI agents arrested Householder and four other menandU.S. AttorneyDavid DeVillers detailed a $60 million bribery scheme to get pro-Householder legislators elected, position Householder to become speaker, push through the bailout bill and defend it fromthe referendum attempt.
Householder is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on a racketeering charge. He showedupfor theHouse sessionTuesdayandtold reporters thatHB6 is “great legislation” thatpreservesthousands of jobs and saves Ohio ratepayers $2.3 billion.
He also said thathe is innocentandwillvigorouslydefend himselfagainsttheaccusations. The other four charged with racketeeringinthecase— lobbyistsNeilClarkandJuanCespedes, political strategist Jeff Longstreth and former Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges — have all pleaded not guilty.
Cupp said Householder should resign.
In July, the House voted to remove Householder as speaker but tabled amotion toejecthimfromoffice. Cupp saidejectioncanonlybeexercisedonceforthesameactions and Householder is running unopposed for re-election in November.
Lawmakers are in an election seasonandmany are facing public pressure overHB6 and the scandal.
The Coalition to Restore Public Trust is running ads in key districts calling for a full repeal of HB6 and Ohio CitizenAction launch a campaign to pressure lawmakers to repeal the law.
MikeMcGovernofProgressOhio, aliberal-leaningorganization, criticizedHouseleadershipforconsideringreplacing HB6withsomeothersubsidies for thenuclear power plants.
“This is a matter of right and wrong. If Speaker Cupp isseriousaboutrestoringtrust intheHouse, thenheneedsto repeal, not replaceHB6. Any legislation that continues to bail out FirstEnergy with our moneyaftertheyattemptedto buy our democracy is unacceptable,” McGovern said in a written statement.