In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown talk about the questionable, yet successful, efforts of nuclear energy interests to keep a referendum off the ballot. Catherine Turcer, the Executive Director for Common Cause Ohio, joins the show.
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On this week's episode:
Energy Bailout Repeal Needs A Charger
The well-funded Ohioans For Energy Security relentlessly and ruthlessly prevented another group from putting Ohio's energy bill on the ballot in 2020. Supporters of the nuclear plant bailout used deceptive ads, petition blockers to keep people from signing and their own unofficial petition. A federal judge ruled their campaign did not violate any laws however.
Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts did not gather enough signatures, so voters will not get a chance to turn back the billion dollar bailout of two nuclear plants and two coal plants.
Repeal supporters claimed harassment and bureaucratic delays hindered their effort and sought another 90 days to collect signatures. The federal judge said no to their extension, but there’s still a chance the Ohio Supreme Court could take up the case.
Snollygoster Of The Week
First Energy Solutions and its supporting group, Ohioans for Energy Security, have had a banner year. They got the legislature to pass a bill that greatly benefits the company and heavily hampers competition from renewable energy companies. Then they used heavy-handed tactics to keep a repeal effort off the ballot — at least for now.
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