Buckeye Reporter

The Buckeye Institute presented testimony before the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee on Wednesday regarding Ohio Senate Bill 103, which aims to change the state’s regulatory process for approving natural gas projects.

Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, explained that slow approval processes for these projects can harm Ohio’s economy and technological development. He stated, “Delays in approval undermine economic and technological growth by delaying utilities and on-site energy hook-ups for significant energy consumers like data centers and advanced manufacturing companies.”

Lawson noted that Senate Bill 103 would allow large-load consumers to make agreements with utilities, which could help keep Ohio competitive by attracting investment in technology and industry. He said this approach is important as construction of data centers increases nationwide due to advances in artificial intelligence and data processing.

He also acknowledged concerns about consumer protections, saying, “Regular energy users should not have to pay costs for massive new energy-intensive projects.” Lawson pointed out that changes in the bill address these concerns by protecting regular consumers from extra costs associated with large-scale projects.

In his closing remarks, Lawson stated that the bill takes “great strides to meet rising demand without sacrificing consumer protections.”

Senate Bill 103 uses a framework similar to House Bill 15 but is designed specifically for the needs of the natural gas sector.