SB 151 — Allow certain natural gas suppliers to offer carbon offsets

As ReportedPassed by the Senate Public Utilities Committee 136th General Assembly Regular Session Am.

151 2025-2026 Senator Wilkin ToCosponsors: amend section 4929.02 and to enact sections 1 4929.51, 4929.52, 4929.53, 4929.55, 4929.57, and 2 4929.59 of the Revised Code to allow for 3 competitive retail natural gas service suppliers 4 to offer carbon offsets to customers.

Senators Antonio, Cirino, Craig, DeMora, Hicks-Hudson, Ingram, Lang, Patton, Reineke, Roegner, Timken To amend section 4929.02 and to enact sections 1 4929.51, 4929.52, 4929.53, 4929.55, 4929.57, and 2 4929.59 of the Revised Code to allow for 3 competitive retail natural gas service suppliers 4 to offer carbon offsets to customers.

16 (3) Promote diversity of natural gas supplies and 17 suppliers, by giving consumers effective choices over the 18 selectionAm. of those supplies and suppliers;

19 Am.

151 Page 2 As ReportedPassed by the Senate Publicselection Utilitiesof Committeethose (4)supplies Encourage innovation and marketsuppliers; access for cost- 20 effective supply- and demand-side natural gas services and 21 goods;

19 (4) Encourage innovation and market access for cost- 20 effective supply- and demand-side natural gas services and 21 goods;

47 (11) Facilitate additional choices for the supply of 48 Am.

151 Page 3 As ReportedPassed by the Senate Public(11) UtilitiesFacilitate Committeeadditional choices for the supply of 48 natural gas for residential consumers, including aggregation;

planting and maintaining trees that absorb 73 carbon dioxide and providing long-term forest management, 74 capturing and burning methane gas produced by landfills or farms 75 before the methane enters the atmosphere, and improving energy 76 efficiency to reduce energy use and lower the associated carbon 77 Am.

151 Page 4 As ReportedPassed by the Senate Publicefficiency Utilitiesto Committeereduce energy use and lower the associated carbon 77 dioxide emissions.

100 (B) Submit a notice to the public utilities commission 101 stating its intention to begin a voluntary carbon offset program 102 that allows all customer classes to enroll and purchase carbon 103 offsets to offset any emissions that are the result of the 104 Am.

151 Page 5 As ReportedPassed by the Senate Publicoffsets Utilitiesto Committeeoffset any emissions that are the result of the 104 customer's consumption and use of natural gas services.

A retail natural gas supplier's voluntary 131 carbon offset program under sections 4929.52 to 4929.59 of the 132 Revised Code shall include procedures to allow for customers to 133 Am.

151 Page 6 As ReportedPassed by the Senate PublicRevised UtilitiesCode Committeeshall include procedures to allow for customers to 133 opt in and out of the program.