Likely headed to the Senate, HB 303 could lower electric bills and reduce outages 

The Ohio House of Representatives is set to pass House Bill 303, which would establish a pilot program for community energy in Ohio. Policy Matters Ohio testified in favor of the bill. Policy Matters Climate & Sustainability Researcher Molly Bryden issued the following statement: 

“Community energy would bring broad economic benefits to the state, creating jobs and expanding access to clean, reliable energy, while responding to historic rises in electricity costs — which are largely driven by our state’s dire need for electricity generated here in Ohio. Our state imports around 20-25% of our electricity from other states, which is one of the main reasons utility rates jumped anywhere from 10% to 36% this June.  

“H.B. 303 would increase in-state generation supply by an additional 1,500 MW through the integration of distributed energy resources into the grid. That’s only a fraction of what Ohioans could do with a broader energy plan based on this one pilot program. Community energy presents Ohioans with an opportunity to unlock guaranteed savings on their electricity bills while enjoying a more resilient, reliable electricity grid. 

“That is especially important as Ohioans increasingly bear the brunt of rate increases driven by the state’s boom in data centers, the resource-intensive facilities that create few new jobs and drive utility rates up. Ohio needs to increase in-state generation to meet the skyrocketing demand generated by industrial electrification and the rapid proliferation of energy-intensive data centers while driving down costs for residential ratepayers. 

“Ohio households are facing an energy affordability crisis due to recent rate hikes resulting from the imbalance between existing generation resources and forecasted load growth across Ohio’s regional transmission grid, operated by PJM Interconnection. Though PJM is largely responsible for the growing energy affordability crisis stemming from potential energy shortfalls – increasing risks of service disruptions, in turn – H.B. 303’s progress shows that Ohio lawmakers can center Ohio communities in a rapidly-evolving energy landscape, prioritizing Ohioans’ energy needs over utilities’ return on equity. 

“We hope to see continued momentum on Ohio’s path toward an energy policy landscape that puts Ohio’s working families before profit-driven, monopoly utilities. The House’s passage of H.B. 303 will represent another departure from Ohio lawmakers’ long-standing pro-utility posture. We applaud House lawmakers – and the community coalition whose work made this progress possible – for taking another step in the right direction, delivering more power to Ohioans to decide how and where their energy is produced. The Senate should do the same, without delay.”