Local
Citizens Utility Board of Ohio questions programs that keep aging power plants running
The report says cost-recovery programs hide inefficiency from consumers, but PJM defends them as necessary for grid reliability amid data center growth.
Energy
Local
Ohio officials to vote on opening 23,000 acres of public lands to fracking
State officials are scheduled to vote Monday to open or select a winning bid on about 23,000 acres of publicly owned wildlife preserves. This would significantly expand oil and gas exploration on Ohio’s public lands.
Local
Legal protections for submetered renters saved by DeWine veto
Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed legislation that would have rolled back a new legal protection extended to renters at “submetered” apartments.
Local
Ohio Democrats urge Gov. DeWine to veto submetering bill
Seven Ohio Senate Democrats joined House members in the veto push, citing a unanimous Supreme Court ruling last month that submetering firms must be regulated as utilities.
Local
Ohio has blocked a lot of wind and solar. Its residents pay the price.
A Save Ohio Parks analysis finds Ohio blocked 5.3 GW of clean energy over 12 years, as Senate Bill 294 moves to make solar and wind approvals even harder.
National News
Trump to pump $700M into coal power in the states, as he again blasts renewable energy
Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to fund coal plants and mines across nine states, drawing praise from GOP governors and fire from environmental groups who call it a polluter bailout.
Local
Data center opponents give Ohio lawmakers an earful
Residents demanded a data center moratorium, citing water contamination risks, secrecy through NDAs, and inadequate state oversight during the committee's only public hearing.
Local
6,000-acre solar project permit nixed by Ohio Supreme Court, for now at least
The state's Republican-led high court sided with Madison County officials who opposed the Shell subsidiary's project, citing missing visual renderings of substations.
Local
Ohio utilities report subpar grid reliability as they seek a lower bar
Duke Energy and FirstEnergy want weaker reliability rules even as they miss current standards for the tenth consecutive year, drawing pushback from consumer advocates.
Local
Top Husted aide lobbied for Ohio utility that profited from corrupt law
Husted's new senior advisor lobbied for AES, which made $77 million from the corrupt utility law at the heart of Ohio's biggest bribery scandal.
Local
MAGA-friendly Richland county voters preserve ban on wind and solar
In a Republican-dominated district, voters narrowly upheld a ban on utility scale renewables in most of the county in a 53% to 47% vote. A referendum backer called the result disappointing, yet ‘telling.’
