DevelopOhio

On Wednesday, the Ohio House of Representatives Public Utilities Committee will hold its second hearing on H.B. 319, which House Majority Whip Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) introduced in October to permit natural gas companies to apply for an infrastructure development rider to cover the costs of certain economic development projects. According to the Gongwer Ohio Report, the Leveraging Energy to Advance Development (LEAD) proposal "would permit natural gas companies to create new funds to extend utility infrastructure to the boundary of a development site," allowing local officials to "more aggressively pursue economic development that might not otherwise occur due to a lack of infrastructure." The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) would determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis. The rider would apply to all of the natural gas company's customers, and the "company's annual investment cannot exceed one percent of the utility's net plant investment utilized in establishing base rates in the  company's most recent base rate case," the article said. For more, read the full text of H.B. 319.