What to expect as Ohio utility corruption trial heads for a do-over. The trial for two former FirstEnergy execs on criminal charges linked to the HB 6 scandal ended with a hung jury. The effects of the scandal are still visible: Ohioans have less solar and wind power, and pay higher energy bills.

The American utility industry overall is an incredibly greedy and corrupt monopoly that has long impeded the deployment of renewables, even in states that purport to be supportive of clean energy. The regulated monopolies they enjoy were actually created at the behest of the industry (look up Samuel Insull in Wikipedia) after they saw how effective this model of regulation had been for retaining corporate dominance despite appearances for the railroad industry. Simply put, utilities contribute strongly to politicians, who then rig the policies to protect these monopolies, the true interests of the public be damned, especially where clean energy is concerned. This Ohio case is one of the few instances where this utterly routine state of affairs is being challenged.