Megan Wittman, megan.wittman@sierraclub.org
Columbus, OHIO – New ads in downtown Columbus highlight the extreme cost House Bill 6 has caused Ohioans since 2020. Thanks to decisions at both the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and House Bill 6 passed by the Ohio legislature, all Ohio electric customers have to pay for the uneconomic Ohio Valley Electric Corporation’s (OVEC) coal plants, including the Kyger Creek plant in Ohio and the Clifty Creek plant in Indiana.
Every day, Ohioans cough up more than half a million dollars to bail out OVEC and keep these financially-failing coal plants open. As of today, coal bailouts have cost Ohioans more than $372,000,000.
Sierra Club billboard in downtown Columbus updates HB6 cost to consumers in real time. Photo from earlier in October.
The cost to Ohio electric customers updates in real time on the billboard in Columbus, demonstrating the huge bill Ohioans have had to foot since House Bill 6’s passage four years ago.
“It’s important Ohioans realize how much OVEC’s coal bailouts have cost us already and how much they continue to cost us every day,” said Neil Waggoner, Midwest Beyond Coal Campaign Manager. “Thanks to corruption in our legislature, and the Public Utilities Commission’s failure to reign in costs, Ohioans are forced to pay more each month to subsidize the bad business decisions of Ohio’s utilities. We can’t continue on this path. The Public Utilities Commission should be protecting customers from continued overcharges from the OVEC coal bailout.”
###
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.