Rep. Tristan Rader

The way we regulate utilities shapes what they prioritize.

Today, the biggest financial rewards often come from building more infrastructure and growing the rate base not necessarily from keeping the lights on or delivering the reliable service Ohioans expect.

When incentives don’t align with the public interest, the system shouldn’t surprise us. It should be improved.

More Ohioans Are Getting Their Power Shut Off as Energy Costs Surge More Ohioans Are Getting Their Power Shut Off as Energy Costs Surge - Cleveland Scene

Had a great evening at the Ohio State Fair’s Natural Resources Park! Thank you to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the invitation and for the incredible work your team does to care for Ohio’s public lands.

Ohio is home to some of the best state parks anywhere. From our forests and rivers to the shores of Lake Erie, these places belong to all of us and are worth protecting.

We have a strong foundation, but our work isn’t finished. As a legislator, I’ll keep fighting to conserve our parks, safeguard our natural resources, and ensure future generations can enjoy the same Ohio we love today. 🌲🏕️🌊

Today I had the chance to tour No Surf House in Ward 12—an incredible nonprofit that provides free lodging for touring musicians performing in Cleveland. It’s a simple idea that has a big impact: helping artists afford to play here while strengthening our local music scene and neighborhood economy. No Surf House also provides subsidized housing for early-career artists and creates community events that keep Cleveland’s arts scene thriving.

If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow, come check out No Surf Fest!

🎸 Saturday, August 1
📍 Halloran Park (3550 W. 117th St.)
🕒 3:00–8:00 PM
🎟️ Free admission

Enjoy live Ohio bands, food trucks, local vendors, a beer garden, kids’ activities, and more. It’s a great way to support local artists and celebrate everything that makes our west side community special. Hope to see you there!

The people living with these consequences deserved to have their voices heard. For too long, communities in Appalachian Ohio have been treated as a sacrifice zone. National attention is important, but what matters now is action from Ohio regulators and lawmakers to protect our water and hold operators accountable.

In Ohio, Toxic Wastewater Is Bubbling Up Out of the Ground The state is a major importer of fracking wastewater, which gets pumped underground but doesn’t always stay there. The city of Marietta is fighting back.

One of my favorite parts of summer is traveling the country to meet fellow legislators and learn from the communities they represent.

Last week I had the privilege of meeting Arizona State Representative Mae Peshlakai, a Diné (Navajo) leader whose community is still living with the devastating legacy of uranium mining and its impacts on tribal health.

Her story reminded me of our fight here in Ohio against efforts to turn our state into a dumping ground for fracking waste. No community should have to sacrifice its health, land, or water for corporate profits.

Grateful for the conversation and the reminder that environmental justice is a fight we all share.

One of many, many outages courtesy of FirstEnergy. The storms haven’t even started and the power is out yet again. Behind the scenes I’ve been diligently working with experts from around the country on how we address what is a failed utility. We do have tools to address reliability, other states do it better, and I’ll be coming out soon with some bills that put people who pay electricity bills ahead of shareholders.

For now report your outages when they happen so this all gets tracked: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/content/customer/outages_help/Report_Power_Outages/report-outage-login.html

It was great to join the Cleveland American Middle East Organization (C.A.M.E.O.) and so many members of our Arab American community for their annual picnic. The weather was beautiful, good food, and it was great catching up with friends old and new.

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome, and a special thank you to Pierre Bejjani for the invitation and for all he does to strengthen and uplift Cleveland’s Arab American community.

Spent some time this afternoon with Caitlin at the Italian Festival in Detroit-Shoreway. 🇮🇹❤️

One of my favorite things about our community is how many cultures, traditions, and neighborhoods come together to make Cleveland what it is. Great food, great music, and even better people.

Thanks to everyone who helped put on another fantastic festival!

We were grateful to welcome Senator Kent Smith and Representative Tristan Rader to Friendship Circle last week. Thank you for taking the time to visit, connect with our team, and learn more about the programs and mission of Friendship Circle.

Pictured left to right: Rep. Tristan Rader, Eli Shomer of Friendship Circle, and Senator Kent Smith.