Rep. Brennan Urges PUCO to Reject FirstEnergy Request to Weaken Power Reliability Standards

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (D-Parma) today called on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to reject a proposal from FirstEnergy that would allow its electric utilities to take longer to restore power after outages and, in some cases, permit customers to experience more outages each year.

FirstEnergy’s proposal would affect Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, and Toledo Edison. The company acknowledges in filings that its reliability performance has worsened since 2019 and is asking regulators to respond by loosening existing standards.

“Ohio families should not be asked to lower their expectations because a utility failed to meet its obligations,” said Rep. Brennan. “Reliable electricity is an essential service, not a luxury. When power goes out for hours or days, the consequences are real and sometimes dangerous.”

Northeast Ohio communities have submitted formal objections to the proposal, citing repeated and prolonged outages that have resulted in serious public safety concerns. These include interruptions to powered medical equipment, residents trapped in elevators, exposure to extreme heat and cold, missed work and school, and significant food spoilage - particularly for low-income households.

Many reported outages lasted more than five hours and many were attributed by FirstEnergy to its own equipment failures, line failures, or company errors - factors within FirstEnergy’s control.

“FirstEnergy has suggested weather and tree-related issues are driving these outages, but the record shows many failures stem from aging infrastructure, maintenance issues, and operational errors,” continued Rep. Brennan. “Customers have already paid more than $1 billion since 2017 for reliability improvements. Weakening standards now sends the wrong message.”

Consumer advocates have also warned that FirstEnergy’s proposed changes rely on system-wide averages, meaning a single extended outage could be hidden statistically while still causing severe harm to affected communities. 

Rep. Brennan emphasized that declining reliability should prompt stronger oversight - not relaxed expectations. This request runs afoul of House Bill (HB) 15 which includes provisions requiring increased scrutiny and enforcement of reliability. 

“The Commission’s role is to protect the public interest,” concluded Rep. Brennan. “Granting this request would reward poor performance and shift the burden onto customers who have already paid their share. I urge the PUCO to maintain strong, enforceable reliability standards and hold utilities accountable.” 

The PUCO is expected to begin evidentiary hearings on the case later this month.