Utility regulator targeted by FBI saw a whirlwind rise
By JULIE CARR SMYTH and MARK GILLISPIE November 21, 2020 GMT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Sam Randazzo told Ohio state senators last year that he had been poised to retire at the end of 2018 when he was recruited to help the incoming administration of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine review looming big-picture energy and utility issues.
Within three weeks of DeWine taking office, Randazzo was named the state’s top utility regulator.
“Very humbling stuff!” Randazzo gushed during his April 2019 confirmation hearing.
How Randazzo went from retiring utility lawyer to chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio over such a short period is a matter of new attention.
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But lawmakers may not be done with that measure.
Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said removing the nuclear subsidies was – in his words – the easy part of dealing with House Bill 6.
In an interview for this week s The State of Ohio , Huffman said he’s pretty sure the elimination of energy efficiency programs run by utilities and the trimming of renewable energy requirements on utilities won’t be restored to where they were before being added into House Bill 6.
“The subsidy to various companies for energy efficiency programs or other kinds of energy. In my mind, and this is in the mind of Matt Huffman, those things are not coming back, Huffman said.
After Repealing Nuclear Bailout, Ohio Lawmakers May Still Change Controversial Energy Law statenews.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from statenews.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Blade
Apr. 1 COLUMBUS The controversial $1 billion bailout of two nuclear power plants that came to epitomize the idea of legislation being for sale in Ohio is no more.
Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed House Bill 128 into law, effectively repealing portions of House Bill 6 enacted in 2019 that would have surcharged electricity customers across the state to subsidize the Lake Erie plants and lock in high future profits for Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.
The law was the end product of an alleged $61 million bribery scheme that has led to federal racketeering charges against multiple players, including former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R., Glenford).