One of the country’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, with a large presence in the Ohio Valley, has emerged at the center of a $60 million bribery and racketeering scheme related to Ohio’s controversial energy bill that bailed out several struggling nuclear and coal plants. On Tuesday, federal investigators arrested one of Ohio’s top lawmakers, House Speaker Larry Householder and some of his associates, in connection with the scandal. Dave DeVillers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said that in exchange for the $1.5 billion bailout contained in the controversial legislation, known as H.B. 6, utility FirstEnergy Corp., identified as Company A, funneled nearly $61 million into a dark money group controlled by Householder and his political allies. “Make no mistake, these allegations are bribery, pure and simple,” DeVillers said during a Tuesday press conference. The investigation has rocked Ohio politics, but it could also impact energy policy…
Continue Reading: Power Failure: A Massive Bribery Scheme Could Change The Ohio Valley’s Energy System
