The head of an energy research nonprofit in Cleveland hopes the corruption scandal surrounding a utility bailout will ultimately help Ohio move forward. Sandy Buchanan is the executive director of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
She wants to see House Bill 6, the bailout that saved FirstEnergy’s nuclear plants, repealed but not replaced.
She said the bill is poor policy and holds Ohio back.
“Ohio needs to look to the future. We’ve been mired in the past because of FirstEnergy’s influence in attempting to stop renewables for many years, not just the last couple," she said. "And so it’s time to put those days behind us and move forward with the rest of the country.”
Buchanan thinks Ohio should focus on wind and other renewable energy options, which she says are better for the environment, consumers and the economy.
There are both Democrat and Republican-led movements to repeal the bill in the House. Speaker Larry Householder was arrested last week by federal authorities, who allege he orchestrated a $61 million scheme to get the bill passed.
