June 4, 2026
OEC Action Fund Expands Accountability Campaign Against Sen. Jon Husted Over Votes That Continue to Raise Ohioans’ Energy Costs
For Immediate Release:
June 4, 2026
Contact:
Karlena Wallace, Communications Director
media@theoec.org 614-487-7506
OEC Action Fund Expands Accountability Campaign Against Sen. Jon Husted Over Votes That Continue to Raise Ohioans’ Energy Costs
Columbus, Ohio — Today, the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund announced the next phase in its effort to hold U.S. Senator Jon Husted accountable for backing a series of federal actions that have increased energy costs, undermined clean energy investments, and made it harder to bring affordable power online in Ohio. The accountability campaign focuses on the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, the “Reliable Power Act”, and efforts to preserve an IRS rule making it harder for wind and solar companies to claim remaining tax credits.
The OEC Action Fund will be running CTV and OTT digital ads and radio ads in many of Ohio’s major cities, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, to highlight the negative effects of Senator Husted’s votes. This ad campaign, totaling $150,000, will highlight the gap between promises to lower costs and votes that are making monthly bills harder for Ohioans to afford.
Senator Husted’s actions will:
- Continue to drive up household energy costs as clean energy tax credits are rolled back; one national analysis found average household energy costs could rise by $400 per year over the next 5 years.
- Stack the deck against affordable clean energy by considering the advancement of the Reliable Power Act, legislation which would unfairly favor utilities and grid operators in the regulatory process and could lead to promoting oil and gas production in Ohio.
- Make it harder for wind and solar developers to claim remaining clean electricity tax credits by preserving an IRS rule that largely revokes the longstanding 5 percent “beginning of construction” standard.
Together, these actions point in the same direction: higher costs for Ohio families, more uncertainty for energy developers, and fewer tools to build the affordable clean energy Ohio needs. This campaign builds on previous OEC Action Fund accountability work for Senator Husted, which included a $350,000 ad campaign highlighting Husted’s vote for last year’s Budget Bill and its detrimental effects.
The following quote can be attributed, in whole or in part, to Spencer Dirrig, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund:
“While Ohioans face skyrocketing energy costs, Senator Jon Husted and his allies are actively making the problem worse— and we won’t stand by and watch,” said Spencer Dirrig, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund. “Senator Husted promised to lower costs for Ohio families. Instead, he voted to slash clean energy tax credits, created new barriers to affordable energy projects, and sided with the polluters, raising prices. As a result, Ohio families were left paying more. OEC Action Fund will continue to ensure Ohioans have the information they need to hold their elected officials accountable and demand better from their representatives in Washington.”
“Ohioans should be furious about their skyrocketing energy bills, and they have every right to be furious with leaders like Senator Husted who are making the problem so much worse,” said Sara Chieffo, LCV Senior Vice President for Government Affairs. “Instead of working to lower energy costs, Senator Husted is siding with utility and Big Oil CEOs who are raking in record profits while families are stuck with the bill. At every turn, Jon Husted and his allies have made rising energy costs worse by attacking clean energy, the fastest and most affordable new energy to bring online.”
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The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund protects the environment and health of all Ohio communities by electing climate champions, holding public officials accountable, and advancing environmental justice policies. More at www.theoecactionfund.org.
Ad:
Jon Husted voted to Raise our electric bills $400/year
But that’s fine.
Who needs A/C in Ohio in the summer anyway?
Tell Jon Husted: Stop voting to raise energy costs
