Bill > HB15

This bill aims to amend Ohio's competitive retail electric service law through comprehensive changes affecting electric utilities, power generation, renewable energy, and related regulatory processes. The bill makes several key provisions: First, it establishes a new framework for priority investment areas, allowing local governments to designate brownfield or former coal mine sites for potential energy development with potential tax incentives. Second, it modifies electric distribution utilities' standard service offer processes, introducing more competitive bidding requirements and establishing new rules for how utilities can provide standard electric service. Third, the bill creates new reporting and transparency requirements for electric utilities, including mandating the development of distribution system hosting capacity maps and annual reliability reports. The bill introduces several consumer protection measures, such as requiring competitive retail electric service suppliers to provide clear notification to customers about rate changes and establishing rules around switching suppliers. It also creates new provisions for mercantile customers (large commercial/industrial customers) to develop their own energy generation and storage systems. The legislation includes significant changes to renewable energy requirements, modifying how renewable energy credits are calculated and expanding definitions of renewable energy resources. It also establishes a new school energy performance contracting loan fund to help school districts finance energy efficiency projects. The bill repeals several existing sections of Ohio law related to solar generation and legacy generation resources, effectively sunsetting previous energy policy frameworks. It also requires the Public Utilities Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on advanced transmission technologies to evaluate their potential deployment and benefits. Financially, the bill introduces new tax assessment methods for energy facilities, creating different valuation percentages for various types of energy infrastructure based on their year of installation and technology type. It also eliminates certain previous cost recovery mechanisms for electric utilities. Overall, the bill represents a significant update to Ohio's electricity regulatory landscape, aimed at promoting more competitive, transparent, and technologically advanced electric service while providing new frameworks for renewable energy development.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb15