Utility watchdog: Ohioans burdened as feds prioritize coal plants

By Terri Dee

Consumer protection groups said renewable solar and wind energy sources are more efficient and easier to sustain and more federal money is directed toward outdated coal plants, there are questions about the effects on Ohioans facing steeper utility bills.

Cardinal Plant, Kyger Creek Station and Clifty Creek are Ohio’s main coal power plants currently in operation.

Tom Bullock, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio, said government policy and utility companies are too entangled, citing policy decisions including tax credits or permits, while contending the Trump administration appears inconsistent with the state's current fuel sources.

"The White House is saying we're going to reverse course in solar and wind right at the moment when those things can save people money. Makes no sense. They've also imposed tariffs, which adds cost to everything," Bullock pointed out.

Instead of using solar and wind as power sources, Bullock noted, the administration has decided to force the most expensive decades-old coal power plants to remain open even when their owners want to retire them.

In 2025, President Donald Trump declared a National Energy Emergency designed to stop the premature shutdown of coal-fired power plants, arguing expanding coal infrastructure can improve grid reliability and lower energy costs.

Bullock argued a number of utility companies have dragged their feet for years to connect new power to the grid and have dismissed consumer concerns while focusing more on profits. Bullock compared Ohioans enduring an energy deficiency to having no access to a common food staple.

"If you had a shortage of milk or cereal at the grocery store and you had to wait five or seven years to get a new supply, people can't wait that long. They're going to go buy something different, or they're going to be paying way too much for a basic need," Bullock stressed.

A lack of energy connectivity is real "life and death stuff," Bullock added, because it can affect those with certain health conditions who depend on prescribed electrical devices for their well-being.

Disruptions in the workplace or at educational institutions can also be affected by energy shortfalls.