Ohio lawmakers push back on FirstEnergy bid to loosen power outage rules

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers says FirstEnergy shouldn’t get permission to let power outages last longer or happen more often.

“FirstEnergy is asking for permission to fail,” Rep. Tristan Rader, a Lakewood Democrat, said. “They want weaker reliability rules so they can keep blacking out neighborhoods without consequences, while families lose food, miss work and sit in the dark.”

Rader and Rep. Dave Thomas, a Jefferson Republican, joined 17 other House members in writing a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The lawmakers urged regulators to reject FirstEnergy’s request, arguing that customers shouldn’t be left paying the price for a grid they’ve already spent billions to improve.

 FirstEnergy is asking regulators to relax Ohio’s reliability standards for Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., Ohio Edison and Toledo Edison.

 The proposal would allow more outages each year and give repair crews more time, on average, to restore power.

 The company pointed to harsher weather, aging equipment, and tree damage as reasons the current standards are harder to meet.

For example, Cleveland Electric missed its restoration targets for the past two years.

Under the proposal, CEI’s average restoration time would increase from 135 to 150 minutes. Ohio Edison would get three additional minutes per outage, and Toledo Edison would have 12 more.

FirstEnergy said these revised standards were based on recent performance and “sound statistical analysis,” so the changes would be “just and reasonable.”

But state lawmakers said electricity isn’t optional.

 In their letter, they warned that easing standards would have “profound economic, health, and public safety implications,” particularly for households that rely on powered medical equipment and for businesses that depend on uninterrupted service.

 “Now is not the time to lower reliability standards,” Thomas said. “We should keep moving in the right direction for taxpayers who have already paid to make the grid more reliable.”

 State lawmakers aren’t alone in their concerns. Local governments and city leaders have also spoken out.

 At a Cleveland City Council meeting on Jan. 12, Councilman Brian Kazy criticized FirstEnergy’s request, calling it “a cruel joke” from a company he said has repeatedly failed its customers.

 Several Cleveland suburbs have also filed objections.

 Bay Village reported repeated and prolonged outages to the PUCO, including seven outages in one ward last year. Officials there warned that lowering reliability standards would worsen public safety risks and undermine city services, including police and fire response.

The dispute now moves into a critical phase at the PUCO.

 Expert testimony from FirstEnergy and other parties is due Feb. 12, followed by staff testimony on Feb. 19. An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the commission’s offices in Columbus.

Members of the public who want to file a comment can do so on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s website under case number 24-1112-EL-ESS.