When you hear the phrase “high energy,” what comes to mind? 🤔 That one coworker in your office who loves mornings and only eats a corner of a donut and puts it back? Yeah, us too. 🙄🍩
While we’re talking energy, we’re keeping the pulse on a new Ohio bill that makes utilities more affordable for residents. However, some folks are concerned about what else lurks between the (power) lines. 👀
Here’s Five Fast Facts on Ohio’s new energy policy:
- 🔌 Power Moves - Piggy backing off Senate Bill 2, OH House Bill 15 just passed unanimously and now awaits DeWine’s signature. The bill aims to make power more reliable and affordable for Ohioans across the state.
- 💸 Bail Tale - SB 2 and HB 15 would phase out coal bailouts for two major Ohio coal plants. Ohio taxpayers forked over roughly $670 million for these bailouts over the years through extra charges on their utility bills. The bailouts along with the extra fees are now set to expire over the next five years.
- ⚡ Number Crunch - Under the new initiative, utilities will set a going rate for electricity with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). This rate will be based on market data and will be revisited annually to make sure everything stays in line.
- 👾 Digital Getdown - Both bills would also shorten the approval process for certain energy-related business applications. Some are concerned that this will make it easier for more big data centers to go up, which could negatively impact local communities.
- 📊 Feeding the Beast - Right now, Ohio’s home to 176 data centers, 108 of which are in Central Ohio. Modern tech advances like AI, crypto, and cloud computing rely on data centers to stay powered up. Each data center gobbles up a ton of energy…in some cases, the same amount of megawatts as a small city.
🔥Bottom line: Lower energy bills? We love that for you. Another loud, stinky data center on the block? Oh well, ChatGPT’s gotta eat too (sarcasm). Speaking of budget boosters, have you heard Ohio’s retired teachers just got a pay bump? Get the scoop on that right here.
Do you live near a big data center?
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