Ohio faces rising power costs amid passage of landmark energy reform

OHIO, USA — Ohio is hungry for more power, and the cost of that power, experts say, is going to rise in the short-term.

“What we see is an affordability crisis,” says Maureen Willis, director of the Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel. "I think a lot of the experts are saying is, we are going to be in for some high, for the short term some high pricing.”

Help is on the way. The passage of House Bill 15 earlier this year is a landmark reform of Ohio’s energy policy.

Key provisions of HB 15 include eliminating the $1.50 subsidy previously given to coal plants, which lawmakers say unfairly subsidized outdated energy sources. Additionally, it includes new rate case mandates every three years, a ban on utility ownership of power plants, strengthened consumer protections and incentives for re