COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation that would formally define the state’s energy siting policy, prioritizing affordable, reliable, and clean energy sources while reducing reliance on foreign competitors.

Senate Bill 294, sponsored by Senators George Lang and Mark Romanchuk would enact a new section of Ohio law governing how energy projects are evaluated by the Ohio Power Siting Board.

The bill declares that, in all cases involving applications for utility facility certificates, the state must emphasize energy security through cost stability, grid reliability, domestic production, and infrastructure independence.

Under the legislation, Ohio would be required to favor energy sources that meet newly defined standards for affordability, reliability, and cleanliness. An “affordable energy source” is defined as one with stable and predictable costs that provides cost-effective heating, cooling, and electricity generation, while delivering savings comparable to certain federally recognized energy sources over the past five years. Advanced nuclear energy technologies are explicitly excluded from the bill’s definition of affordability.

“The ultimate mission is to lower energy costs in the State of Ohio,” Senator Lang told ABC 6 Tuesday. “Energy is so critical to our economy. Right now, if you look at what advanced manufacturing needs, we need to dominate in the advanced manufacturing market if we’re going to succeed.”

SB 294 outlines what qualifies as a “reliable energy source,” requiring energy resources to be available at all times with minimal interruptions. For power generation, qualifying sources must maintain a minimum capacity factor of 50%, be fully dispatchable, and have the ability to ramp production up or down within an hour to stabilize the electric grid. The bill further states that reliable sources must be able to complement renewable energy during periods of low availability.

SB 294 defines “clean energy sources” as those that meet federal air quality standards under the Clean Air Act, including nuclear energy and natural gas. The bill references federal law in determining which energy sources qualify and allows hydrocarbons to be considered clean if they comply with national ambient air quality standards. Opponents took to the podium during Tuesday’s Ohio Senate Energy Committee hearing.

“The bill undermines our ability to meet rising demand, adapt to generation retirement and build a resilient grid,” explained Evangeline Hobbs with American Clean Power.

Hobbs testified against SB 294, stating Ohio is in need of policies that expand energy options, not restrict them. “Excluding renewables from the definition of reliable energy, as SB 294 does, undermines the states ability to meet future demand and weakens grid resilience,” she said. “At precisely the moment where Ohio needs every available energy source, this bill would tie the state’s hands.”

Hobbs added if no ‘new clean power’ is added in the state, rates could increase by 140% by 2032.

Critics add SB 294 could raise rates for consumers and harm the environment by defining natural gas as a clean energy source.

“The legislature should not be deciding this. Let the market decide. If power grids are uneconomical, they will not be built,” said Janine Migden-Ostrander, Institute for Energy Democracy Fellow at Pace University.

A key component of the legislation is its emphasis on domestic production. Except for energy generated by nuclear reactions, the bill directs the state to prioritize fuel sources primarily produced within the United States. The proposal also seeks to limit dependence on foreign adversary nations for critical materials and manufacturing by prioritizing secure energy infrastructure.

If passed, SB 294 would not mandate specific energy projects but would guide how the Ohio Power Siting Board evaluates applications for power plants, transmission lines, and other major energy facilities. Supporters say the policy framework is intended to strengthen Ohio’s energy independence while ensuring stable prices and grid reliability for residents and businesses.

During the Ohio Senate Energy Committee hearing Tuesday morning, Chair Brian Chavez denied ABC 6’s request to record the discussions surrounding SB 294.

SB 294 is moving through the Ohio Senate with no set timeline of when this bill could be voted on.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — John Carroll University will host on Friday (Feb. 13) the 2026 annual Ohio Peace & Conflict Studies Network (OPCSN) Conference, which will bring together faculty, students, and nonprofit organizations from across the state to explore how civic engagement can serve as a powerful form of peacebuilding to create and strengthen democratic practices.

The conference, titled “Strengthening Democracy through Civic Engagement & Peacebuilding,” will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday at John Carroll University, 1 John Carooll Blvd. in University Heights.

The public is invited to participate by registering, through Feb. 11, here. Faculty, staff, administrators, and students from 16 colleges and universities across Ohio have already registered to attend.

Presentations will be centered on the work of Ohio colleges and universities, as well as community organizations engaged in related efforts statewide.

Registration for the conference includes a light breakfast and lunch, with fees set at $35 for members of the general public; $25 for Ohio college and university faculty, staff, and administrators; and $10 for Ohio college students.

John Carroll will be the first Jesuit university to host the OPCSN conference. Over the years, JCU has supported collaboration and growth in the field of peace and conflict studies through hosting an international college and university seminar, developing courses and programs, and training faculty, staff and students in conflict management and sustained dialogue.

The event will be hosted by JCU’s Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding, Peace, Justice & Human Rights program; Center for Service Learning & Social Action, and Office of Student Experience & Campus Belonging.

The conference is co-sponsored by Wilmington College’s Peace Resource Center and Community Campus Coalition, with partners that include The Ohio State University’s Divided Community Project and the University of Akron’s Center for Conflict Management.

The annual OPCSN conference convenes Ohio colleges and universities committed to peace studies, justice, and conflict transformation.

This year’s theme focuses on how civic engagement — through local governance, community organizing, dialogue across differences, and media literacy — can strengthen democratic institutions and foster more just and inclusive communities.

Ohio currently has more than 19 colleges and universities with peace and conflict studies programs, making the state one of the foremost regional hubs for peace education in the country.

“Ohio has a long history of innovative statewide work in the field of alternative dispute resolution, conflict management, and peace studies,” said Jennifer Batton, who is Conflict Management Training Instructor at the University of Akron’s Center for Conflict Management and Coordinator for OPCSN, in a release.

“As early as 1989 the Supreme Court of Ohio Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) was created by the Chief Justice to explore how ADR methods could be used across the state and the non-partisan Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management was created to incorporate these methods and programs into education, court and community, and state and local government.

“The OPCSN was built on this foundation, from work supported state-wide in higher education, in order to help students develop the knowledge, skills and abilities to solve their local and global communities’ most pressing problems.”

This year’s OPCSN conference will feature:

• An opening panel with representatives from John Carroll University, The Ohio State University, and Kent State University’s Growing Democracy Project
• Student poster sessions highlighting civic and peacebuilding initiatives across Ohio
• Two rounds of interactive workshops and panels focused on community engagement, dialogue, and democratic participation
• A networking luncheon for OPCSN member institutions

For more information, visit ohiopeaceandconflict.org.

The latest batch of Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice showed an Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center OB-GYN receiving payments from the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s firm in the early 2000s.

Multiple documents, including FedEx receipts, mention Dr. Mark Landon, the chair of OSU’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In an email between Epstein and an attorney he worked with, Darren Indyke, Epstein wrote that they were paying Landon $75,000 a year. The email didn’t mention what they were paying Landon for.

Indyke wrote to Epstein in 2006 and said “Are we still paying Mark Landon?… Eric was dealing with this, so I am not sure what was decided when the previous payment was made. Landon’s agreement requires quarterly payments of $30k to be made to Landon on the 15th of January, April, July and October. The previous payment made to Landon was for $25,000 and not $30,000. The contract is terminable at will on 15 days’ prior notice. Is NYSG to make payment to Landon by January 15th and if so for $25K or $30K? Please advise.”

“75 per year,” Epstein responded.

The FedEx receipts date back to 2001, but don’t indicate what was being sent in the packages.

In a statement sent to WOSU, Landon denies providing any care to Epstein or his victims.

“I was a paid consultant for the New York Strategy Group regarding potential biotech investments from 2001 to 2005. I had no knowledge of any criminal activities; I find them reprehensible and I feel terrible for Epstein’s victims,” Landon said.

The New York Strategy Group was Epstein’s money management firm. Epstein died by suicide in a jail cell while awaiting trial for allegedly sex trafficking underage girls.

For years, Epstein worked for Central Ohio billionaire Les Wexner, who the medical center is named for. Epstein allegedly stole hundreds of millions of dollars from the billionaire.

At the time, he was paying Landon, Epstein owned land in New Albany which was sold to him by Wexner.

Wexner is set to testify before Congress this month about his close relationship with Epstein.