Ohio Sues To Stop House Bill 6 Fees From Being Collected

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing to stop Energy Harbor from collecting $150 million from Ohio taxpayers through House Bill 6.

House Bill 6 provided a $1.3 billion bailout for two FirstEnergy nuclear plants (now Energy Harbor plants) in Ohio. The legislation is now at the heart of a racketeering investigation involving Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and other political figures.

Funds are due to be collected starting Jan. 1, 2020. The money will then be paid to Energy Harbor. Yost filed a lawsuit Friday in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court to prevent the company from collecting the fee.

“The people of Ohio are about to be shaken down for money they should not have to pay based on how HB6 was enacted,” Yost said. “There is no process in place to return the money to residents once it leaves their accounts – so why take it?”

Yost already filed a civil lawsuit to prevent Energy Harbor from receiving the money collected via a utility surcharge. The new lawsuit could prevent the fees from being collected and then held in limbo.

“With every passing minute this mess gets worse,” Yost said. “We need to stop this process altogether.”

The Public Utility Commission of Ohio has ordered an audit of FirstEnergy to determine if it followed by state regulations when it divested its nuclear plants.