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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Poll: Most Ohioans Say "No" to Coal Plant Bailouts

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Thursday, September 11, 2014   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new poll indicates Ohioans want a cleaner energy future not powered by coal. American Electric Power, Duke, and First Energy are asking the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to allow them to increase rates to pay for extra costs associated with continuing to generate power from existing power plants.

But according to Public Policy Polling, most Ohio electricity customers said the request should be denied.

Allison Fisher, outreach director with Public Citizen's Energy Program, says the utilities originally wanted to use the free market to sell energy, but the plants are not competitive with today's market prices for electricity.

"They're losing money in the market," Fisher says. "As a result these corporations are asking that their oldest, dirtiest and most uneconomical coal and nuclear power plants make a profit and they are doing this basically by asking consumers to bail them out."

The utility companies say the proposal would stabilize rates for customers, but Fisher and others argue it would keep electric bills higher than they should be and prevent Ohio from reducing dangerous emissions of carbon, soot, smog and mercury pollution.

As they conduct door-to-door canvases educating Ohioans about the issue, the executive director of Ohio Citizen Action, Rachael Belz, says they're finding most people aren't interested in keeping aging coal plants running.

"We've been hearing from people that they don't want to pay for the bad business mistakes of First Energy, Duke and AEP," Belz says. "Most feel we shouldn't be captive to their business decisions and the fact they did not make these investments."

The survey also found, across different demographic groups, Ohio electricity customers are concerned about rising costs, are favorable toward renewable energy, and expect the state to transition to cleaner fuels and more energy efficiency measures. PUCO is currently taking comments on all three proposals.


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