Ohio Democrats Release Records on DeWine Seeking Legal Advice on FirstEnergy

Gov Mike DeWine

On Wednesday, the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) released new records pertaining to the FirstEnergy scandal, indicating that Governor Mike DeWine (R) frequently spoke with a “risk communications team” as well as attorneys including Ohio Attorney General David Yost (R) concerning the issue. 

Jeff Crossman and Taylor Sappington, respectively Democratic candidates for Ohio attorney general and Ohio Auditor, are also publicizing these documents via their campaign websites to underscore what their party suggests is increasing evidence of culpability on DeWine’s part. (Crossman will face Yost in this November’s election; Sappington is running against incumbent Auditor Keith Faber.)

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Ohio Utility Commission Pauses HB 6 Investigations at Request of Federal Prosecutors

FirstEnergy building

Ohio paused its investigation into FirstEnergy and House Bill 6 after federal prosecutors said continuing could interfere with their ongoing criminal investigation.

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairwoman Jenifer French, a former judge, said she understood how the four PUCO investigations into FirstEnergy and the passage of House Bill 6 could create issues for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

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Whaley Energy Plan for Ohio Excludes Fossil Fuels

Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley this weekend took to Twitter to promote an energy plan for the Buckeye State that excludes fossil-fuel production in favor of renewables.

“Check out mine and [running mate Cheryl Stephens’s] energy plan…,” she wrote. “1. Reform the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) so consumer interests are at its core; 2. Spur innovation & create good-paying, union jobs in clean energy; 3. Build climate resilient communities.”

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Ohio Democrats Seek Preservation of Records in Connection with FirstEnergy

Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters last week filed a preliminary injunction seeking assurance that Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will preserve all records pertaining to House Bill 6 as an ODP lawsuit goes forward.

The legislation, which DeWine signed into law in July 2019, created a $1.3 billion bailout for the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear-power plants operated by FirstEnergy Corp. Federal prosecutors have alleged that GOP former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and numerous other individuals, including erstwhile Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, participated in a $61 million bribery scheme to effect the subsidies.

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Ohio House Passes Bill Aimed at Nuclear Power Development

“In recent years, there has been a global shift in attitudes toward the development of new nuclear technologies to deploy scalable clean energy,” Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk, said. “This legislation will bring Ohio to the forefront of advanced nuclear innovation and strengthen our domestic supply chains. This legislation is a proactive measure to tell the federal government Ohio is here to be a solution to find a clean, carbon-free energy source.”

The new authority, according to a news release, would be responsible for the development of advanced nuclear reactor commercialization, isotope production and nuclear waste reduction.

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Proposed Law Would End Ohio Sales Tax on Guns, Ammunition, Knives

Sales tax would no longer be collected on guns, ammunition and knives in Ohio if a bill planned for introduction in the state House of Representatives becomes law.

State GOP Rep. Al Cutrona recently announced he will introduce legislation that would exempt those items from sales tax, saying the move would help make gun, ammunition and knife retailers and manufacturers more competitive with neighboring states.

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Report: Coal Subsidies Bad for Ohio Taxpayers

A group of Ohio economists believes government subsidies for coal power plants create distortions in the market, eliminates competition and does not produce positive results, according to a new survey from Scioto Analysis.

State leaders continue to pick apart House Bill 6, the scandal-ridden energy bill passed two years ago that produced billions of dollars for two state nuclear power plants but also included subsidies for coal plants and renewable energy producers. It also led to what federal prosecutors call the largest government corruption scandal in state history and the ouster of indicted former Speaker of the House Larry Householder.

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Ohio AG’s Office Freezes $3 Million in Sam Randazzo’s Assets in Case Related to House Bill 6 Probe

Sam Randazzo and Dave Yost

The office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has frozen more than $3 million in assets of former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Chairman Sam Randazzo as part of a state civil lawsuit tied to the ongoing federal criminal probe of a Statehouse corruption scheme.
Yost’s office also has sought a court order to appoint a receiver to go after another $3 million in assets Randazzo allegedly had transferred to accounts his attorneys control immediately after Yost had announced he had a court order to seize up to $8 million in assets in a mid-August.

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Renacci Calls for Full Investigation of All Sources of FirstEnergy Contributions to DeWine Campaign, Including Ohio Republican Party

  MEDINA, Ohio – Republican gubernatorial challenger Jim Renacci has asked for a full investigation of the flow of FirstEnergy Corp.’s political contributions into the 2018 campaign of Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) in the wake of the Akron-based electric utility’s $230 million settlement of public bribery charges with the Department…

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U.S. Attorney Departs, but HB 6 Investigation is Far from Over

The cruel fortunes of politics mean that David M. DeVillers stopped being the top federal law enforcement official for Southern Ohio on Sunday. But the attorney who last July announced the arrest of then-House Speaker Larry Householder, last week said the investigation that led to the arrest isn’t going anywhere. 

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Ohio Group: End, Not Delay, Consumer Fees, Government Subsidies for Power Companies

While the Ohio General Assembly works on a bill to delay new consumer fees on electric bills, one state representative is getting support for his plan to end the charges completely.

State Rep. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) introduced House Bill 772 that he says focuses on the “harmful policy to Ohioans” created by House Bill 6, a controversial nuclear bailout law that led to the indictments and arrests of five people, including former Speaker of the House Larry Householder, in a $60 million bribery and racketeering scheme.

“The $150 million annual nuclear subsidy from Ohioans was never needed to sustain the operation of the two Ohio nuclear plants. Evidence was provided by witnesses during the House Bill 6 debate that financial instability was likely untrue,” Romanchuk said.

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Ohio AG Blocks Nuclear Bailout Payout

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed to block the payment of nuclear bailout money from House Bill (HB) 6.

HB 6, a bill that bailed out of the nuclear company First Energy, is at the center of the corruption scandal that led to the ousting and arrest of former Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder.

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Ohio Speaker Names Committee to Repeal, Replace House Bill 6

House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, has named lawmakers to serve on a new committee tasked with repealing and replacing House Bill 6, a ratepayer-funded bailout of two Ohio nuclear plants that led to a federal corruption probe.

Democrats said they were prepared to take action when the House met on Tuesday.

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Timken, FirstEnergy Helped Householder Achieve His Dream of Regaining Position as Speaker

FirstEnergy donated generously to Mike DeWine, his son Patrick DeWine, Larry Householder, who wanted to become House speaker for the second time in his life, as well as the Ohio Republican Party, as our special series shows.

FirstEnergy, as well as Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, helped Householder achieve his dream in January 2019. His first time as speaker was 2001-2004.

Householder, according to a story by cleveland.com, recruited a group of candidates for the House’s 2018 election who would need his help to gain office, the newspaper said, citing a federal charging document.

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Political Operative Tyler Fehrman Wore a Wire for the FBI to Catch Matt Borges

Details are emerging on how Tyler Fehrman came to help the FBI bust Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, Matt Borges and three others in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme.

Cleveland.com reported on the details, including an interview with Fehrman, here.

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Senate Passes House Bill 2, a TechCred Bill That Caused Words Between the Two Legislative Leaders

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Last week the Speaker of the Ohio House and the Senate President exchanged a few words via the media. The Speaker expressed frustration that the House priority bills, House Bills 1 through 14, were not moving fast enough in the Ohio Senate. The most recent bill to cause Householder concern was House Bill 2. It passed the Senate Wednesday.

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After Ohio State Speaker Householder Accused Senate of Stalling House Bills, State Senate President Obhof Announced Sentencing Bill as Top Priority

Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) expressed his displeasure with the Senate last week. He told reporters, “We’ve got bills over in the Senate that we’d like to see the Senate move. We’ve got several priority bills that we’ve waited for quite some time on and don’t really understand why we’re having a problem over there getting bills to move.” In response, Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) discussed his priorities with Gongwer.

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Ohio State Representatives Seek Constitutional Amendment to Protect Infrastructure from Foreign Ownership

Ohio State Reps. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) and Don Manning (R-New Middletown) are sponsoring legislation to amend the state’s constitution that would ask voters to decide on a plan they say would protect infrastructure from being mostly foreign-owned.

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Campaign Against HB 6 Will Not File Petition Signatures on Time, But Fight Not Over Yet

Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts released a statement saying they will not file their petitions to referendum House Bill 6 with the Secretary of State’s office as planned. Signatures were due Monday. In spite of the setback, spokesman Gene Pierce said, “The fight to put House Bill 6 on the ballot in 2020 isn’t over yet though.”

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Attorney General Yost Tells Those Trying to Disrupt Workers Collecting Signatures to Put House Bill 6 on the Ballot to ‘Knock It Off’

On Monday Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost gave a message to people attempting to interfere with the signature gathers of a referendum petition against House Bill 6: Knock it off.

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Opponents to Nuclear Bailout Start Television Ads to Combat Bailout Supporters Attacks

Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts have been fighting House Bill 6, the “nuclear bailout bill”, passed by the Legislature in July. The group received permission to proceed on their petition drive the end of August. They are attempting to put the bill on the ballot in November 2020. On Sunday, they began their own television ad campaign to combat the ads being run by Ohioans for Energy Security, an organization trying to stop the referendum from getting to the ballot.

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Petition Circulator for House Bill 6 Referendum Attacked by Woman Working for Opposition

Gathering signatures for the House Bill 6 referendum has become a dangerous occupation. Late last week, one paid circulator had his phone smacked out of his hand and damaged as he attempted to film a “blocker” who was trying to discourage his work.

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FirstEnergy Solutions Wants Their Lawsuit Against House Bill 6 Referendum Expedited, AG Yost Says No

Last week First Energy Solutions (FES), which owns the two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio, sued the Ohio Secretary of State and Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts. FES wants to stop the Bailout group from moving ahead with their referendum against House Bill 6 – known as the nuclear bailout – and they asked for the case to be expedited. Attorney General Dave Yost declined their request.

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Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts Had Their Language to Repeal House Bill 6 Rejected by Ohio AG

Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts wants to repeal House Bill 6. They are using the petition for referendum option in Ohio’s Constitution to try to place the bill on the ballot so Ohio voters can decide for themselves if they want the so-called nuclear bailout. The referendum language was submitted to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office on July 29, but their summary was rejected on Aug. 12.

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Unplanned Session Sees Passage of House Bill 6 by Close Margin

  A previously unplanned session date was added to the calendar of the Ohio House of Representatives so that lawmakers could concur with Senate Amendments and pass House Bill 6. The move was successful and the legislation passed 51 yeas to 38 nays in a bipartisan vote Tuesday. Members spoke…

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Ohio’s ‘Nuclear Bailout’ Bill Stuck in Legislative Limbo

  COLUMBUS, Ohio — First Energy gave the Ohio Legislature until June 30 to pass House Bill 6, which opponents called a bailout. Failure to pass it by the company’s imposed deadline would result in the shutdown of at least one of Ohio’s two nuclear power plants, the company warned. The…

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‘Deadline’ May Pass As Ohio House and Senate Hit Impasse on HB 6

  First Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of First Energy, told legislators that June 30 was their deadline for getting House Bill 6 passed. The company insists it will need time to purchase fuel rods and after June it will be too late. They are threatening to close the Davis-Besse nuclear…

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Ohio Senate Committee Hears from Opponents, Proponents, and ‘Interested Parties’ on Nuclear Debt Restructuring Plan

  COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee held its second hearing on House Bill 6 (HB 6) Wednesday. The bill is being called a bailout by some and a clean energy job saver by others. Two gentlemen were asked to give testimony to the committee by its…

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Ohio’s Future Foundation Pushes Pro-Business Policies to Help All Residents Prosper

  YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Former Congressman Jim Renacci and Ohio’s Future Foundation (OHFF) were hosted by the Mahoning County Republican Party Tuesday evening.  The GOP group held a social for OHFF in their meeting room in Youngstown. Rick Barron, the Mahoning County Leader, announced that, ‘Tom (Weyand – OHFF’s Outreach…

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Ohio House Dems Accuse Republicans of ‘Rigged’ Committee Process

  The Ohio House Democrats of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee have accused their Republican colleagues of rigging the vote on House Bill 6 (HB 6). The Democratic members of the subcommittee released a joint statement on Wednesday claiming the hearing to be a “rigged-process.” Joe Price, senior manager of…

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DeWine Supports Bailout of Ohio’s Nuclear Power Plants

  Gov. Mike DeWine expressed support for saving Ohio’s two nuclear power plants that are expected to close if they don’t receive legislative relief. As The Ohio Star previously reported, lawmakers introduced a bill in early April that would effectively save Ohio’s only two nuclear plants. FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary…

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Opponents Convene in Ohio General Assembly to Testify Against Subsidies for Clean Air Projects

  Greg  Lawson of The Buckeye Institute testified Wednesday in front the Ohio Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee as it considered House Bill 6, a controversial “Energy Generation” bill put forth April 12. The subcommittee gathered for its third hearing Wednesday where Lawson and 80-plus other citizens convened to testify.…

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