House Energy Committee adopts Sub. Bill to HB 15 after sixth hearing; bill focuses on competitive markets, transmission oversight and a community energy pilot

The Ohio House Energy Committee on Oct. 27 adopted, without objection, Sub. Bill (dash-6) to House Bill 15 after a sixth hearing that featured more than a dozen proponent witnesses representing generators, consumer advocates, manufacturers and environmental groups.

Chairman Holmes opened the session by calling forward House Bill 15 for its sixth hearing and recognized Vice Chair Klopfenstein, who moved to amend HB 15 with the substitute. "I move to amend House Bill 15 with Sub Bill dash 6," Vice Chair Klopfenstein said. "Without objection, the motion is agreed to and the sub bill is adopted," Holmes said after the committee reviewed the amendment.

Why it matters: the adopted substitute would reshape how Ohio reviews and pays for new generation and supplemental transmission, limit nonbypassable riders, tighten timing and procedural rules in rate cases, create a multi-year true-up for forecasted test years, and create a community (distribution-level) energy pilot intended to speed deployment of local projects and provide bill credits to subscribers. Committee members and multiple witnesses said the changes are intended to attract private investment, improve transparency on transmission spending, and protect residential consumers from what some called…