In a letter to Ohio Public Utilities Commission Chair Jenifer French, Rep. Daniel Troy (D-Willowick) and other House Democrats called on the commission to “take immediate action to restore the reliability of Ohio’s electric grid” in light of recent severe weather that caused widespread power outages.
The delegation – made up of Democrats from the Ohio House of Representatives Public Utilities Committee and representatives from Northeast Ohio – called on the PUCO to convene meetings with utility leaders to discuss the problem and find solutions to protect consumers in the event of extended outages.
The letter states in part:
“Without immediate and meaningful action, climate change will continue to cause extreme weather and drive up costs for all Ohioans. It is critical that we address these energy reliability issues promptly to ensure our residents and businesses have access to reliable and affordable electricity, especially when emergencies like the one we experienced last week occur.
“We look forward to working together on these pressing issues to achieve a better energy future in Ohio.”
In addition, the letter emphasizes the urgent need for a modern and resilient power grid after “storms and tornadoes devastated northeast Ohio on August 6, prompting Governor Mike DeWine to declare a state of emergency.”
The delegation also expressed concern about the state’s “current performance in dealing with power outages,” citing a recent report that found Ohio ranks second in the country in the number of residents affected by power outages.
According to the delegation, “PUCO’s failure to act promptly comes at a time when Akron-based utility FirstEnergy received outrageous compensation from Attorney General (Dave) Yost for its role in the largest political scandal in Ohio history, which PUCO played a key role in perpetuating….
“The comfortable $20 million compensation FirstEnergy received to avoid prosecution,” the letter says, “is only a fraction of the $61 million the company spent on bribes and is dwarfed by the approximately $700 million Ohio consumers will still have to pay in subsidies under House Bill 6 through 2030.”
Troy noted that as a member of the House Public Utilities Committee, he has repeatedly emphasized that Ohio needs to focus more on the transmission and distribution of electricity rather than how it is generated.
“We are not running out of electricity we generate, but we are seeing increasing difficulties in maintaining reliable power to our homes and businesses,” he added. “Power grid modernization and improved resiliency in restoring power to our state are long overdue – we need a system that is better designed to handle the challenging weather conditions that are becoming increasingly common in Northeast Ohio.”
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