| State Senator Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) supported legislation unanimously passed by the Ohio Senate to provide a new 21st Century power policy for energy that is reliable, affordable, and abundant. Senate Bill 2 maximizes the state’s power producing potential by attracting new energy generation projects to meet the growing demand in Ohio’s homes, businesses, and industries. Senate Bill 2 creates a more hospitable business environment for new producers and transmitters and requires a more streamlined, expedient regulatory process.”Senate Bill 2 not only provides much-needed change in Ohio’s energy industry, but most importantly, it finally puts to bed the bailouts of coal plants outside of Ohio and other incentives that were part of the entire House Bill 6 scandal,” Senator Koehler said. “I fought against House Bill 6 on many fronts. We can finally move on and start producing and providing energy on a level playing field in Ohio.” The legislation also provides additional accountability to consumers by repealing Electric Security Plans (ESPs), which are also known as “riders.” ESPs have acted as a mechanism to charge consumers more without effectively requiring companies to provide a reason for the increase on their utility bill. Senate Bill 2 repeals and prohibits riders altogether in favor of a traditional rate case format. Further protecting consumers and their wallets, energy companies must disclose their finances to the Public Utility Commission before a rate increase would be approved. “I want to thank my colleagues for their diligent work on this bill to reshape Ohio’s outdated energy policies and incentivize new generation projects across the state,” noted Senator Koehler. “I’m confident these reforms will provide reliability and accountability for Ohio consumers.” |
| # # #Senator Kyle Koehler represents the 10th District in the Ohio Senate, which encompasses all of Clark, Greene and Clinton counties. |