Proponents at Senate hearing push to end OVEC coal subsidies immediately and refund unspent solar funds

Supporters of Senate Bill 2 told the Ohio Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee that the bill should immediately end long-standing subsidies to the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation and return unspent solar-generation fund money to consumers.

At a second hearing on the bill, industry and consumer witnesses said OVEC subsidies — which were put into Ohio law in prior legislation and are collected through riders on customer bills — have cost Ohio ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and continue to distort wholesale markets. David Proano, regulatory counsel to the Ohio Energy Leadership Council, said OVEC-related riders have cost “over $600,000,000” since the rider was enacted and asked that the bill be amended so the charges end on enactment rather than being tied to each…