FirstEnergy donated $1 million to support Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted’s campaign before the scandal surrounding the $60 million public bribery scandal, according to documents obtained under Ohio’s public records law. The donation was part of a larger effort by the utility to secure a legislative bailout for its nuclear power plants. The documents also reveal emails describing efforts by Husted to persuade DeWine to support House Bill 6, the utility-backed legislation at the heart of the scandal. Neither Husted nor DeWane have been implicated in the scandal, which involved eight people, including former House Speaker Larry Householder, and Sam Randazzo, the former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The document also indicates a significant increase in FirstEnergy’s political spending through nonprofit groups exempt from taxes under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
