"House Bill 15 forbids settlements to close or curtail “base load” power plants, which exclude renewables. The law may pave the way for future fossil-fuel subsidies."
"A decade ago, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, trade organizations, and companies found themselves in a regulatory standoff with American Electric Power over operating costs for six coal-fired power plants in Ohio.
The utility’s opponents objected to letting the company collect more money from customers to keep the unprofitable plants running, while the utility argued the charges were a hedge against even higher costs.
Before state regulators made a decision, the utility and some of its opponents announced a compromise. As part of the deal, the Sierra Club would drop its opposition in exchange for AEP’s commitment to add more solar and wind to its portfolio as well as move up its timeline for closing or converting several coal plants to natural gas.
A Sierra Club representative at the time described it as “nowhere near a perfect deal” but as one that would significantly reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the state’s clean energy transition.
Such compromises will now be prohibited in Ohio under a new state law that forbids settlements involving the closure of “base load” power plants."
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