Nuclear Energy Bailout Bill Introduced

Columbus, OH-- Earlier today, state legislators introduced a bill that effectively provides a financial bailout to two FirstEnergy nuclear power plants. The details of the bill were leaked last week by longtime energy reporter John Funk. FirstEnergy has, for years, tried to find ways to bail out its energy generation to no avail. The bailout tactic has been unpopular, as it has aimed to raise FirstEnergy customer rates. The bill introduced today would not be focused on FirstEnergy customers alone, instead it would increase the bills of all Buckeyes across the state in order to bail out these uneconomic power plants.

In Response, Neil Waggoner, Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Ohio released the following statement:

“This bill is rife with the same bad ideas that were shared last week. It guts Ohio’s clean energy and efficiency standards while forcing electric customers to pay more each month to bail old uneconomic nuclear plants - all while calling it a clean air program. The idea of this would be laughable if it weren’t for the fact that it could become a regressive and destructive law.

As Sierra Club has previously stated, if the legislature is really concerned about carbon and clean air, they should pursue a comprehensive energy agenda with a focus on how to increase investment in energy efficiency, expand clean energy development, and support communities disproportionately impacted by the transition away from, and retirement of, dirty energy generation.

This bill remains a scheme that is just a new energy tax on Ohio electric customers to maintain uneconomic energy generation, and reward FirstEnergy’s bad business decisions.”