COLUMBUS — Ohio’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit attempting to block the state’s nuclear plants from collecting fees on electricity bills that were authorized in a new law at the center of a $60 million bribery scandal.
Attorney General Dave Yost filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Franklin County Court against Energy Harbor over the law, which is at the heart of a federal bribery probe involving the former speaker of the Ohio House.
The lawsuit asks the judge to block payments to the company’s two nuclear plants that were bailed out through the now-tainted legislation. The bailout is funded by a fee that will be added to every electricity bill in the state starting Jan. 1.
“Ohio laws should not be built on the basis of fraud, deceit and intimidation. Given the corruption surrounding House Bill 6, it is proper to block these ill-gotten gains from filling the coffers of those under criminal indictment,” Yost said.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent FirstEnergy from receiving proceeds of funds from the surcharge but Democrats say it doesn’t go far enough.
“This complaint does nothing to get Ohioans their money back, and it does nothing to bring back the 100,000-plus green energy jobs House Bill 6 kills,” said Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus). “It does nothing to stop the $444 million bailout of two dirty coal plants, one in Indiana. The fact remains that Republican leadership in the legislature is the only thing standing in the way of a full and immediate repeal of House Bill 6.”
Rep. Larry Householder (R-Glenford) was removed as speaker after he and four associates were arrested on bribery charges arising from a scheme built around passage of the nuclear bailout bill.