HBAC 160: Tristan Rader - State Representative District 13

Ohio’s rapid expansion of data centers is building stress around electric reliability, rising utility costs and who ultimately bears the burden of responsibility for billions of dollars in new infrastructure. Those issues were the focus of our conversation with State Rep. Tristan Rader who serves as (among other assignments) the ranking minority member on the Ohio House Energy Committee.

Rader has long argued that lawmakers should ensure the costs of serving this new, investor driven electricity demand fall on the companies creating it and not existing residential ratepayers. He warned that Ohio’s unprecedented pipeline of data center projects could strain a largely reliable but aging electric grid.

The discussion turned to Hilliard’s own proposed data center developments, including behind-the-meter “fuel cell” natural gas generation. Rader said requiring large facilities to provide some of their own power addresses only part of the demand while simultaneously introducing new environmental and neighborhood concerns. He said Ohio should instead encourage cleaner on-site generation such as solar and other renewable technologies where feasible.

Rader also defended maintaining strong electric reliability standards through the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, citing repeated outages in the Cleveland area that prompted local officials to push for regulatory intervention. He praised regulators for rejecting proposals that would have allowed utilities more time before outages triggered performance concerns.

Renewable energy policy was another major topic. Rader criticized recent Ohio laws that have made large-scale solar and wind development more difficult, arguing the state has created uncertainty that discourages investment at the very time additional generating capacity is needed.

On a brighter note, Jordan pointed to Hilliard’s electric aggregation program which city officials report has saved the community millions of dollars as an example of how competitive energy markets can benefit consumers.

The interview also revisited the legacy of the House Bill 6 scandal and the continuing need for utility oversight reforms. Rader said Ohio has improved some regulatory appointments but has not fundamentally changed the structures that allowed the scandal to occur, advocating for greater transparency, limits on utility influence and reforms to the Public Utilities Commission.

A second major focus centered on government transparency. Rader discussed legislation he