On May 7, 2024, Pat O’Loughlin, President and CEO of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives (OEC), testified before the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. He voiced his support for S.R. No. 296, a resolution urging the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to withdraw its recently finalized power plant rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
The Senate resolution, sponsored by state Senators Bill Reineke and Rob McColley, also implores Congress to act in order to prevent these regulations from taking effect. In his testimony, O’Loughlin argued that the EPA’s rules not only threaten the reliability and affordability of electricity for Ohioans but also jeopardize the integrity of the entire U.S. electric grid. He further warned that these regulations increase the likelihood of rolling blackouts occurring on the coldest and hottest days of the year.
