Secure our energy future, pass Energy Jobs and Justice Act
Every day, another headline reminds Ohioans of the unprecedented level of corruption and scandal surrounding our regulated utilities.
Perhaps no headline has driven home the point quite like, “Is PUCO a watchdog or a lapdog?,” from the Dec. 1 Dispatch.
The news continues to break around former Public Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo and bribes he may have received from Firstenergy to do their bidding. Text messages are being released that shine a light on exactly how far the utility’s reach of influence extended into legislative and regulatory decisions.
All the while, Ohio lawmakers have abandoned their responsibility to enact real energy policy for our state and create measures to ensure transparency and accountability at the Public Utilities Commission.
Instead, they have chosen to continue the policies of the past, charging every Ohio ratepayer to bailout old, dirty coal plants and leaving disproportionately impacted communities to bear the brunt of the pollution impacts. But the time has come to turn the page on Ohio energy policy.
Representatives Casey Weinstein and Stephanie Howse have introduced the Energy Jobs and Justice Act.
House Bill 429 (EJJA) is a comprehensive, equitable clean energy policy that works for all Ohioans. It is rooted in equitable solutions that are good for our economy, our communities and our health.
We must urge our lawmakers to stop allowing regulated utilities to turn them into lapdogs in front of the rest of the nation. Let’s move beyond utility-sponsored roadblocks to our energy future and embrace the Energy Jobs and Justice Act.
Semia Bray, co-facilitator, Black Environmental Leaders (BEL), Aurora