From the May-June 2019 issue of News and Letters

Toledo, Ohio—Ohio HB 6 is the FirstEnergy company bailout that creates a so-called “Ohio Clean Air Program.” The word “nuclear” is not mentioned in the bill, nor is FirstEnergy, nor the fact that FirstEnergy is filing for bankruptcy!

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station cooling tower in July 2015. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

It would add $2.50/month to residential customer bills to bail out two nuclear reactors, Davis-Besse and Perry. The Bill’s first hearing in the House will accept proponent only testimony!

Nuclear is an immense industry that uses lots of carbon. All nuclear facilities currently release radioactive pollution, radioactive nuclear waste, heat and steam. The heat released from reactors Davis-Besse and Perry is warming Lake Erie, contributing to toxic algal blooms. Fish and other aquatic life are killed by heat and the mechanisms where water is sucked in for cooling. 

60 MORE YEARS OF NUCLEAR PERIL

How long can you drive an old car? Davis-Besse is operating past its 40-year engineered lifespan and FirstEnergy wants to delay dismantling it for 60 years! 

Bail out a bankrupt highly polluting and dangerous company? No! Not by increasing our electric bills. Not by calling nuclear by another name, such as “zero emissions facilities.” 

“No on HB6 for my bills and health,” says Chad S., Columbus, OH, as part of the movement to stop the bill. #OhiosEnergyFuture #NoOnHB6 #NoNukeBailoutTax. Photo: Ohio Beyond Coal.

FirstEnergy is dishonest. FirstEnergy “competes” by pushing legislation that blocks cheaper renewable development. Maintenance, repairs, and upgrades have been deferred by FirstEnergy. 

What should the Ohio legislature do? It should promote sustainable energy and give zero emission credits to wind and solar and create jobs!

We need people to come to the Statehouse to testify against HB 6 when opponent testimony is scheduled. 

—Ohio Sierra Club Nuclear Free Committee member