Senate tries to write bill Kasich will support

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

A proposal that would weaken clean-energy standards is now in the Ohio Senate, and a key lawmaker says he hopes to come up with a version of the bill that Gov. John Kasich would support.

House Bill 114 received its first hearing Wednesday before a Senate committee, three months after it passed the House.

The House and Senate passed a similar bill late last year, which was followed by a veto by the governor. Then, Republicans added to their majorities this year and took up the issue again, hoping for a different outcome.

“We are trying to come up with a compromise with the governor,” said Sen. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Senate leaders are not considering a veto override, he said. The possibility has been discussed by others.

The measure says that benchmarks for spending on renewable-energy projects by electricity utilities would become optional.

The Senate energy panel held a hearing on the subject, with brief testimony from the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Louis Blessing, R-Cincinnati.

Balderson said he wants to hold another hearing next week and then will assess whether to push to pass the bill out of committee in the next few weeks, before the summer break, or wait until fall.

He said legislative leaders have met with Kasich’s staff to discuss the bill. Balderson had no comment about whether the sides have moved closer to agreement.

Asked about the talks, Kasich spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach said the governor “has been clear regarding the need to work with the General Assembly to craft a bill that supports a diverse mix of reliable, low-cost energy sources while preserving the gains we have made in the state’s economy.”