Ohio Revamps its Energy Regulatory Framework

Ohio recently passed HB 15—a wide-ranging regulatory reform bill designed to attract new energy investment to the Buckeye State. The bill received bipartisan support, passed in the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate, and was promptly signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine.

With arduous permitting processes being a major barrier to new energy development—and demand only increasing—regulatory reform is the first step to unleashing American energy. HB 15 modernizes and streamlines many of Ohio’s regulations, opening more doors and expanding the state’s energy frontier.

HB 15 is particularly notable because it takes a similar approach to ALEC’s Power Plant Siting Act, creating a specific siting board within the state public utilities commission. In Ohio, this new power-siting board within the PUCO will consolidate review jurisdiction into one entity, simplifying the permitting process for new projects.

In ALEC’s model and HB 15, the siting board is tasked with expediting reviews of projects that meet certain requirements and giving notice of approval or denial within 150 days after an application is deemed complete. This policy is aimed at ensuring that applications are reviewed in the appropriate amount of time, not unnecessarily delayed by years or decades while consumers continue to pay high energy costs. It’s simple economics—energy demand is only going up, so energy supply must increase to keep costs affordable.

ALEC congratulates Ohio on spearheading this impactful legislation and working to make the Buckeye State a leader in energy innovation and production. To learn more about unleashing American energy, read our recent article on the importance of permitting reform. And if you haven’t already, check out the latest ALEC Energy Affordability Report to see how burdensome regulations may be impacting your state’s electricity prices.