T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA ABOVE: Ohio State Sen. Brian Chavez informs Belmont County Board of Commissioners about his efforts in bringing energy companies to Ohio.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Ohio State Sen. Brian Chavez spoke with the Belmont County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday morning to inform the board on the efforts he’s made for his district in terms of energy.

“We did transformational and historic energy legislation earlier in the year that’s getting national and international attention. What that did is we basically said, ‘We want you to come build your power plants here. Come build your generation here, because we feel like it all begins with the electrons, and as soon as you get the electrons, you’re going to attract industry,” Chavez, R-Marietta, said. “I think the Ohio River is wildly underutilized, so we established the Ohio River Commission, and we funded that in the operating budget.”

He added that he believes there are a lot of opportunities in Ohio for industry growth and plans to continue to try to influence companies to move operations into the state.

“I was talking to the [Public Utilities Commission of Ohio], and they said that they have gotten more activity since we’ve done that legislation than they have in the last decade or two. So it is starting to get attention and we’re really excited about that,” Chavez said. “The other thing that we did is we fundamentally changed how Ohio electric rates were set, so the Public Utilities did not have to come in for a full blown rate case on a frequent basis. They were able to add project riders there under bill. And so they didn’t have to go through the full rate-making process during those rider processes. So we said, no, you have to come in every three years. You can project for the next three years, but you have to come in every single year and true up, you know, what did you use? And if you didn’t use all the money that you were projected, you have to give a refund to the ratepayers.”

He added that this new way is more transparent and is much more of an optically intrinsic effort to watch how rates are set.

Chavez said that it’s no secret that energy prices continue to rise and believes that there is nothing that can be done to stop it.

“We’re behind the energy curve right now, and it’s going to take a while for us to catch up. So that’s one of the other things I’ve done on the energy front. I was out at PJM, our regional transmission organization, the grid that functionally operates over 13 states, and met with their headquarters, and we’re actually creating a coalition that Ohio is going to lead of what I’m calling the power five. So it’s going to be legislators from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana,” Chavez said. “As a power producing five states, I think that we’re going to have a lot more influence and a lot more conversation with PJM.”

Chaves is optimistic that the coalition will help drive rates down, and believes the coalition will truly energize Ohio’s future.

“I think we are in a really good position, I’m super excited about that,” he said.

He then informed the board to not hesitate to contact him anytime because even if he doesn’t have something scheduled in Belmont County he is constantly passing through the area.

“Over a six week period, I traveled over 10,000 miles in the district. So I put over 80,000 miles on my car within the last year,” Chavez said. “It’s a big district, and I’m constantly working around so if you don’t see me as frequently, reach out because if I’m coming through or going through at any point I’m more than happy to stop and look at any projects we have going on.”

He added that going forward in 2026 he will still be focused on energy in Ohio.

Commissioner Jerry Echemann thanked Chavez for everything he does for not only Belmont County but his entire district. Commissioner Vince Gianangeli added that Chavez is incredibly visible in Belmont County and applauded him for his hard work and dedication to his district on a daily basis.

“I know you live in Marietta, and it’s like a 90-mile drive, and for you to do that on a regular basis, we really appreciate that. So thank you again for all of your efforts,” Gianangeli said.