electric
Coal plant subsidies from pay-for-play legislation have cost Ohioans $173 million
Ohioans have paid $173 million to cover the losses of three Ohio utility companies’ investments in two coal-fired power plants since 2020, thanks in part to a recent law that’s now in the center of a criminal public corruption investigation. By year’s end, the tab since Jan. 1, 2020 on the Clifty Creek coal plant […]
He needed supplemental oxygen. FirstEnergy cut off his electricity
Months after the state government granted hundreds of millions in subsidies to FirstEnergy Corp., the company disconnected the electric service of an Ohio man relying on supplemental oxygen. The customer, David, called the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and told an intake representative that after he got home from a doctor’s appointment he discovered his […]
State regulators to question AEP over Columbus blackouts today
State regulators will meet Wednesday to review American Electric Power’s decision to cut off electric service to 230,000 customers during a June heat wave to prevent a larger-scale blackout. A June 13 storm damaged three transmission lines — high voltage wires bringing energy from generating plants to transformers before it reaches customers — according to the […]
AEP cut 164,000 Ohioans’ power for nonpayment last year, more than any other utility
American Electric Power disconnected more of its customers for late bills than any other utility in the state last year, new regulatory filings show. Between June 2021 and May 2022, AEP Ohio disconnected nearly 164,000 customers from their electric service. That’s more than twice as many as its second place counterpart, FirstEnergy Corp., whose three […]
Millions of Ohioans facing home gas and electric rate hikes
Ohio utility companies have asked state regulators for permission to raise home gas, electric and water costs on more than 2.75 million Ohio customers. Those charges could be spread between customers of Columbia Gas, AES Ohio, Duke Energy, and Aqua Ohio. The utilities, all investor-owned, are collectively asking for another $400 million in annual charges. […]
Gas, electric companies cut off 270,000 Ohioans amid pandemic and billions in profit
Seven gas and electric companies in Ohio shut off service due to nonpayment more than 270,000 times over one year during the pandemic as their corporate parents reported billions in profits, according to an analysis of regulatory and financial flings. After prohibiting gas and electric shutoffs for the early months of the pandemic, the Public […]
Mysterious nonprofit with AEP ties has $3 million to unload, tax records show
Under shadow of a public corruption probe centered on the utility industry and its use of untraceable political spending, a nonprofit with close ties to American Electric Power disclosed harboring $3 million in the bank that it could unload as statewide elections loom. Open Road Path — a nonprofit run by a lawyer and lobbyist […]
Ohio judge withdraws from probes into nuclear bailout he helped write
A state judge who oversees utility cases withdrew himself Friday from four cases involving legislation now at the center of a criminal public corruption investigation. Greg Price, an attorney examiner with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and chief of the electric and energy section, stepped back from investigations into FirstEnergy Corp. He cited the […]
DeWine re-appoints former utility lawyer as utility regulator
Gov. Mike DeWine named attorney and incumbent utility regulator Dan Conway to renew his five-year term on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The selection of Conway from a shortlist curated by the PUCO’s nominating council undercuts DeWine’s pledge in January that he wouldn’t name appoint anyone to serve as regulator with ties to the […]
Ohioans spent $211 million subsidizing two coal plants over last two years
Electric customers across Ohio collectively spent an estimated $211 million via add-on bill charges over the last two years to cover for losses from two coal-fired power plants that continue to bleed millions annually, according to new data from state regulators. The money to the Ohio Valley Electric Corp. (OVEC) — an entity comprised of […]
Dayton utility asks regulators to make electric shutoffs easier
A Dayton area utility company has asked state regulators to relax the rules around shutting off power to customers who are behind on their electric bills. State regulations require utility companies, after filing written notices with customers who owe them money, to send an employee to make a final house call before cutting their power. […]
State regulators made ‘utility-friendly’ edits to audit of coal plant bailout, emails show
Documents show state utility regulators sought edits to draft versions of an audit they commissioned, prompting the removal of declarations that a ratepayer-funded bailout of two uneconomic coal plants was a bad deal for Ohio electric customers. Staff at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which sets customers’ water and electric rates, asked an auditor […]