Program Directory

Columbus Metropolitan Club - 1-18-2023 - Shining a Light on Dark Money

In 2019, Ohio elected officials enacted a law to provide more than $1 billion in bailouts for private nuclear and coal-fired power plants with ratepayer money. Federal Justice Department officials later linked the law to more than $60 million in bribes. Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who along with others was implicated in the scandal, is expected to stand trial beginning in January for his alleged role in the scheme. Meanwhile, House Bill 6 remains on the books in Ohio and sits at the center of the largest corruption case in the state's history, allegedly fueled primarily by so-called "dark money" from Akron-based electric utility FirstEnergy and current or former affiliates.

Join CMC as we untangle the ongoing HB6 scandal in Ohio, unpack the impact on ratepayers and the environment, and examine what can be done to mitigate the damage done to Ohio's energy policy by "dark money." The panel will feature David DeVillers, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg, and Former U.S. Attorney, Ashley C. Brown, Executive Director, Harvard Electricity Policy Group, and Former Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and Kathiann M. Kowalski, Journalist, Energy News Network and Eye On Ohio, with host Jo Ingles, Journalist/Producer, State House News Bureau.

January 18, 2023