A court ruling will block new charges from appearing on electric bills next month. Those fees were created to a nuclear power plant bailout which is under investigation for its role in a bribery scheme.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost says the preliminary injunction on HB6 which stops the new charges from taking place is a step towards restoring public trust.
"The powerful can be held accountable, corruption can be rooted out. For everybody that pays an electric bill in Ohio, you're a winner today. Your pocket is not going to get picked by House Bill 6."
Yost filed for the injunction as part of a larger civil case against the defendants named in a federal racketeering probe. The case was combined with similar arguments filed by the city of Columbus and the city of Cincinnati. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Chris Brown ruled in favor of the preliminary injunction.
Investigators say a utility company believed to be FirstEnergy pumped millions of dollars into a dark money group that helped former House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) get elected as speaker, and in return he passed HB6.
Judge Chris Brown's Inj... by Andy Chow
Along with the $1 billion nuclear bailout, HB6 also allowed for a $1.50 monthly charge on electric bills for two coal plants, and cut green energy standards. The new $0.85 monthly charge on electric bill generated $150 million a year for nuclear plants and $20 million a year for solar farms.
The nuclear subsidies were bound for Energy Harbor, a former subsidiary of FirstEnergy, which did not provide an immediate comment.
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