Category archive for ‘Energy’ rss

  • Budget Preview: energy policy

    Governor Kasich has promised to include a number of policy initiatives in his upcoming budget legislation. Included among them are a number of revisions to Ohio’s energy policy. Budget Watch has obtained a document outlining the major pillars of the Governor’s energy policy plan.

    3/06/12 • (0)

  • Plain Dealer confirms: Kasich tax hike on frackers will be small

    It turns out we were far too generous assuming Kasich’s proposal to raise taxes on frackers would impose a fair tax rate on the extraction of oil and gas. His plan generates in five years what our estimates from yesterday said the state could raise in just one. Our new analysis shows that his fracking tax plan would raise enough revenue to give the average taxpayer a tax cut of $21 to $32.

    3/04/12 • (1)

  • Analysis: Kasich hints at meaningless income tax cut

    Governor Kasich’s team is floating the idea of raising tax on frackers and spending the money to cut the state’s income tax. Is that possible? We ran the numbers and offer the first glimpse at how much of a tax cut ordinary Ohioans could expect.

    3/03/12 • (3)

  • Mid-Biennium budget will include energy policy changes

    Kasich’s upcoming mid-biennial “review” of the two-year state budget, expected in early March, is largely a mystery to budget watchers. However, today, details began to emerge on some of the bill’s policy measures, including a number of changes on the energy front dealing with oil and gas drilling, the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard, and the use of compressed natural gas.

    2/29/12 • (1)

  • Ohio Consumers’ Counsel steps down, citing Kasich budget cuts

    The Kasich budget claims another victim. Ohio’s Consumers’ Counsel announced her resignation yesterday, claiming her efforts to protect Ohioans from unreasonable rate hikes by regulated utilities were impaired by punitive budget cuts proposed by Kasich after meetings with industry lobbyists.

    9/22/11 • (2)

  • Senate R’s breath some life back into Consumers’ Council

    Senate amendments include extra money for the Council and remove some of the far reaching amendments House Republicans had included in their budget. Chalk this up as the second issue where Senate Republicans have removed controversial language that House Republicans had included in their budget, just don’t expect it to continue.

    5/31/11 • (1)

  • John Kasich, Lobbyists and the Consumer’s Counsel kneecapping

    Despite the entire premise of today’s Dispatch story that the Governor doesn’t listen to his good friends who are also suddenly-popular lobbyists, they admit the Don Thibaut lobbied the Governor on behalf of his natural gas clients regarding the Consumers Counsel. You may recall that Kasich then cut the funding for the office in half. Ta-da! Pretty good for a totally inexperienced, first-time lobbyist.

    5/23/11 • (4)

  • Consumers Counsel’s hands tied further by House sub-bill

    House Republicans seem to be going out of their away to push around the state’s residential utility consumer advocacy office. Changes made in the sub-bill make it significantly harder with the Consumers Counsel to follow through their their statutory requirements.

    4/29/11 • (1)

  • How Much Money will Expanded Drilling Produce and is it Worth it?

    Governor Kasich’s budget proposes expanding drilling into state parks. The revenue generated from this is unclear but can we get at least some of an estimate based on analysis of other pieces of legislation currently pending in the state legislature?

    4/05/11 • (1)