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Senate Energy Committee holds first hearing on substitute House Bill 15; witnesses split over refunds, OVEC and transmission changes
Summary
At a first hearing on substitute House Bill 15, sponsors and a slate of industry, consumer‑advocate and environmental witnesses debated changes to Ohio rate‑making, transmission siting, tax treatment for new generation, and consumer refund rules; no vote was taken.
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Senate Energy Committee opened its first hearing on substitute House Bill 15, a wide‑ranging rewrite of the state's energy rules, hearing sponsor remarks followed by proponent and opponent testimony before adjourning without a vote.
Representative Klopfenstein, the bill's sponsor, told the committee HB 15 modernizes a framework he said dates to 1999 and cited growing demand from data centers: "The forecast is 5,000 megawatts of need by 2030," he said, summarizing provisions that would require electric distribution utilities (EDUs) to offer a market‑rate standard service, bar EDUs from bidding distribution‑funded assets into the wholesale market, tighten bonding for competitive retail suppliers, and reduce certain tangible personal property (TPP) taxes on new generation and on transmission, distribution and pipeline infrastructure starting in 2027.
Why it matters: Proponents said the bill would improve oversight, reduce some customer subsidies and attract investment; opponents warned parts of the bill could shift costs to ratepayers, complicate federal‑state…
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