ohio consumers’ council
Lack of oversight on transmission spending leads to higher electric bills, consumer advocate says
Electric customers have fallen into a “regulatory gap” that’s allowed billions of dollars of transmission construction to happen without oversight of need, prudence or cost effectiveness, according to a complaint filed with federal regulators by the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. And though the complaint to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was made on behalf of […]
As Ohio regulators sit on coal plant subsidy cases, costs could rack up for ratepayers
Although Ohio regulators have paused four FirstEnergy cases dealing with House Bill 6, they could still take action in cases dealing with the two 1950s-era coal plants that were subsidized by the law at the heart of Ohio’s ongoing corruption scandal. Yet the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has made no rulings in those cases […]
Consumer protection? New DeWine regulatory chief says most overcharges can’t be refunded
Gov. Mike DeWine’s latest appointee to lead Ohio’s scandal-plagued utility regulator last week raised concerns among some lawmakers and consumer watchdogs. She claimed that her agency has only a very limited ability to make electric companies refund billions in improper charges to ratepayers. There was always going to be scrutiny when Jenifer French made her […]
Investigation of $460M in FirstEnergy charges back on, but why was it stopped in the first place?
The Public Utility Commission of Ohio has restarted an audit of $465 million that Akron-based FirstEnergy collected from ratepayers in 2017 and 2018, supposedly to modernize the utility grid. The state’s official watchdog, the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, wants to know whether any of the money was used in a $61 million bribery […]
Future of state utilities commission hinges on selection of new commissioner
The direction of an unheralded, but important agency tasked with regulating Ohio’s utility services may be determined by the upcoming selection of a new commissioner. Meanwhile, another agency which serves as an advocate for Ohio utility consumers wants a more transparent process by which commissioners are picked. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is made […]