Discussions over the future of Ohio’s energy policy, culminating in the passage of House Bill 6 (HB 6) in October 2019, continued to dominate the state legislative landscape in 2020. In the two decades that GEO has been representing the interests of clean energy growth and development, HB 6 ranked among the most deleterious approaches to public policy undertaken by the General Assembly. When news broke of the indictments alleging widespread acts of corruption leading to the passage of HB 6, GEO immediately called for its repeal. In addition, we assisted in a coordinated effort to secure the signatures of over four dozen Ohio business leaders on a letter to the Governor and members of the General Assembly urging immediate repeal.

GEO worked with the same coalition partners to recruit business leaders for a virtual panel discussion in which they shared their perspectives on the harm that policy like HB 6 does to the industry and the economy. At the grassroots level, we urged our members and supporters to call on their state legislators to repeal HB 6. As bipartisan repeal legislation was considered, GEO submitted proponent testimony on Senate Bill 346. We also submitted opponent testimony on House Bill 798, delaying – but not repealing – the onerous provisions of HB 6.

Please see links to GEO testimony:

• Opponent Testimony on HB 798 submitted to select Committee on Energy Policy and Oversight (12/3/20)
• Ohio Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee on SB 346, the Senate version of HB 6 repeal (11/10/20)
• GEO Statement on House Bill 6 (10/1/20)
• Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee Testimony on Substitute HB 6 (6/25/19)
• House Energy & Natural Resources Committee Testimony of Substitute HB 6 (5/7/19)
• House Energy & Natural Resources Committee; Subcommittee on Energy Generation Testimony on HB 6 (4/23/19)

House Bill 6 Overview

House Bill 6 was the most important piece of energy legislation considered by the Ohio General Assembly in recent years. Its passage impacts the landscape of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Ohio, and has a negative effect on economic development and local community growth.

Opposition testimony to HB 6 outnumbered proponent testimony by three to one, with opponents representing companies of all sizes, trade associations, local governments, economic development entities, labor unions, educational institutions, and public health and environmental advocates. A petition drive to place a referendum on the ballot repealing HB 6 was unsuccessful.

To learn more about the statute, a forecast of its impact, and a comparison to other states, please follow the link to an article written by GEO member Tyler Hall and his colleague Brian Zoeller on the Energy and Natural Resources Industry team at Frost Brown Todd LLC: Impacts of the Repeal of Ohio’s RPS with HB 6.