[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6350712,"mediaKeyId","2231852-91f2dccfdf454610059ec6d3d4662a30","parentId",2231852,"title","House Energy Committee hears sponsor testimony on House Bill 15 to restrict utility generation ownership and shift tax treatment","audioSeconds",2609,"startMs",2609000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2231852-91f2dccfdf454610059ec6d3d4662a30&start=2609&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2231852-91f2dccfdf454610059ec6d3d4662a30/thumbnail_2609000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6350712/Ohio/House-Energy-Committee-hears-sponsor-testimony-on-House-Bill-15-to-restrict-utility-generation-ownership-and-shift-tax-treatment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350712-751752827e0feb07b45dc464d6a1f0ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165077&Signature=CW3CyuzUV14Ipyz8bDrODeF3YZLYViPdLjWi7mMHuUAw5SG0WOM9mLL3FCRQK5jwXln3djLMNAmDO85LvGO1D3xzWhkgZGM4rHnvnYgDggHMy8zH3vNTxFmm3FlELCf4H00A-h3iDQVeL1FJjfWT36sqizqBEGubxdObSU9gWXfSYPRW-2sbWtcdf3Qh6D1yWkgGv~UHOT4nKf1a0TotIL41aTT1hcqEg-JVxuF1VY6UeeKcHRMVJpdRqRAk6iwuOgQ5Nkl62Jzk2Mqzmu1FaZR3vSTOW4-923f9ombCH4WLR~4YZi4KfTh4CrPYUcp1s4wXfMCIKPBcm7ok0OqTNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ohio Legislature","date","2025-02-05T00:00:00Z","article","Vice Chair Representative Klopfenstein presented sponsor testimony on House Bill 15 to the House Energy Committee, describing the measure as an effort to modernize Ohio’s regulatory structure and encourage dispatchable baseload generation.

Klopfenstein said the bill would prohibit electric distribution companies from owning generation, bar distribution companies from bidding ratepayer-funded assets into wholesale markets, move tangible personal property tax collection away from generation facilities to transmission and distribution, repeal the Electric Security Plan (ESP) statute, and require standard service offers to be market-based. He said the legislation would also increase bonding requirements for competitive retail electric and gas suppliers, mandate customer notification for contract changes, and enable features such as consolidated billing and on-bill financing.

Klopfenstein framed the bill as a response to rapid load growth driven by large customers such as data centers. “We have witnessed an unprecedented surge in energy demand, with data centers alone consuming 600 megawatts of electricity. Forecast that this will increase to 5,000 megawatts by 02/1930,” he said. He also called for removing what he described as subsidies and market distortions, citing OVEC and the Ohio solar generation fund; Klopfenstein said OVEC subsidies had “already cost Ohioans” money since 2017 and said the solar fund “has collected somewhere around $60,000,000.”

Committee members asked detailed questions. Representative Brennan asked why repeal of OVEC-related payments was tied to the ESP repeal; Klopfenstein said refunding past payments sets a precedent and that the bill’s goal is to create a stable, forward-looking market environment to attract baseload developers. He said the committee could discuss making OVEC subsidies end immediately on enactment but emphasized that the bill’s main purpose is to change the framework that influences future investments.

Representative Isaacson asked about transmission expansion and how the PUCO and Ohio would participate; Klopfenstein and other committee members said the Power Siting Board and PUCO processes would be part of that discussion and that siting should be thorough but streamlined. Representative Hall and others pressed on the tax change: Klopfenstein said the intent is to move the point of collection for the tangible property tax so that the consumer ultimately pays the same amount and local governments continue to receive the same distributions, while making Ohio more competitive for long-lived baseload projects.

Representative Rader asked whether the committee would consider amendments to streamline OPSB permitting timelines; Klopfenstein said he supported efforts to reduce bureaucracy and would welcome that discussion. Multiple members raised concerns about relying on PJM market signals and how market design, interconnection queues and capacity auctions affect price signals and resource adequacy.

The committee approved the minutes from the previous meeting “without objection” and then called forward House Bill 15 for its first hearing; the sponsor’s testimony and the ensuing questions comprised the hearing. The committee scheduled continued consideration and proponent testimony at a subsequent session and asked staff to convene technical experts for future hearings.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ohio House Energy Committee - 2-5-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Vice Chair Representative Klopfenstein presented sponsor testimony on House Bill 15, which would bar electric distribution companies from owning generation, move tangible personal property tax collection away from generation facilities, and repeal the Electric Security Plan statute.","taxTitle","Energy and Natural Resources, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Ohio","taxId",37264,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6350718,"PUCO chair tells House Energy Committee Ohio must protect baseload generation and modernize the grid",2409,157000,2566000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2231852-91f2dccfdf454610059ec6d3d4662a30&start=157&end=2566","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2231852-91f2dccfdf454610059ec6d3d4662a30/thumbnail_157000.jpg","/articles/6350718/Ohio/PUCO-chair-tells-House-Energy-Committee-Ohio-must-protect-baseload-generation-and-modernize-the-grid","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350718-eb7d8105ad9c1f5e8ce3f794ef3430fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771165077&Signature=AxC173GKoW3Xq~kdGjYmuiLFJtfrfQNgu5fqH9D0i1a4jCKgN4rEs~UdPUImvJwB22cP-VGPogmgrw7saKrDjs607oTlBwfKxZ5MR~5hrv8-Ssm-US-Glg8okFnP-IVbyqRkuHrYGKszcr8RbbsihpV-sZlrClWecqzH4yf4KDlhqHlYLWRKlgQfxIEtu7oqcz30KsLmKJaBWEcLMAN0FzfXyKHt0GL83WIT10JFtZWDIFqi8UZD3BQGIyUgu3MylzxF0N1BpBC~cyVmMRQR5lWfytIQWeR-zn9pFufz2JREyELeruGQDclG7ABMRLk241QJnrDLEDu4lhmsZR2WAg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jennifer French, chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and chair of the Ohio Power Siting Board, told the House Energy Committee that Ohio faces growing demand for electricity and must act to preserve baseload generation and modernize the grid.

French told the committee that the PUCO’s mission is to “assure all residential and business consumers have access to adequate, safe, and reliable utility services at fair prices while facilitating an environment that provides for competitive choices.” She emphasized that the commission regulates distribution, not generation or transmission, and said the state must be active at the regional and federal level to protect Ohio ratepayers.

The PUCO chair described three “buckets” of the electric system—generation, transmission and distribution—and said that while generation and transmission sit largely outside PUCO jurisdiction, Ohio has a direct interest in regional reliability because it sits inside the PJM regional transmission organization. French said Ohio has about 25,000 megawatts of installed generation and that roughly 60% of that capacity comes from natural gas. She noted the PJM footprint has about 180,000 megawatts of installed capacity and that new supply in recent years has been dominated by solar and battery storage.

“We need to keep what we have and get more,” French said, urging members to support policies that both preserve existing baseload plants and attract new, reliable, dispatchable generation to Ohio. She told lawmakers the PUCO has a federal energy advocate monitoring FERC and PJM activity and that the state has filed at the federal level on reliability and affordability issues.

Committee members asked about transmission expansion, competitive suppliers and consumer programs. Representative Isaacson asked how Ohio could double transmission capacity; French said some of the technical details are engineering issues but pointed to recent FERC guidance she described as “FERC 19 20” and said the PUCO is working with PJM to limit Ohio ratepayers from subsidizing other states’ policy choices. Representative Brennan asked about high capacity auction prices in PJM; French said the state and governor’s office have sought a separate interconnection queue for baseload generation at PJM to ensure developers of dispatchable resources can move forward.

On consumer protections, French described PUCO enforcement actions against competitive retail suppliers, the commission’s call center and an “Apples to Apples” comparison tool on the PUCO website to help customers compare offers. She said the PUCO can investigate suppliers, assess penalties and remove suppliers from the Ohio market when violations occur.

French closed by offering PUCO staff as a resource to the committee and by agreeing to provide additional data requested by members.

The committee’s questions and French’s answers stretched across the committee’s allotted time; members scheduled follow-up briefings and data requests to clarify transmission timelines and outage standards.

","Jennifer French, chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, told the House Energy Committee the state must retain baseload resources, push for transmission and grid upgrades and stay active at PJM and FERC to protect reliability and affordability.","actionData","errors"]

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House Energy Committee hears sponsor testimony on House Bill 15 to restrict utility generation ownership and shift tax treatment

PUCO chair tells House Energy Committee Ohio must protect baseload generation and modernize the grid