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

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Veronica Sims (D-Akron) this week called for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to prioritize Ohioans and reject FirstEnergy’s request to weaken the state’s reliability standards to allow for longer and more frequent power outages.

“Ohio families, businesses, and hospitals all depend on reliable electricity every single day, and they should not be asked to accept more outages or longer delays because a utility failed to invest in its infrastructure. For some residents of my district, the delays could be a matter of life and death,” said Rep. Sims. “Weakening reliability standards would put public safety at risk and shift the consequences of corporate decisions onto the people of Ohio. The PUCO must stand up for consumers and hold FirstEnergy accountable.”

This call to action is in response to Case No. 24-1112-EL-ESS, in which FirstEnergy requests reduced expectations for reliability for subsidiary companies Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison, and Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. to increase the number of outages allowed in a year and have additional time to restore service after an outage. In a letter recently sent to the PUCO, members of the House Energy Committee note that these outages can have major economic and public safety impacts and easing regulations would hurt families who have already been footing the bill for grid modernization.

Coming off the heels of the passage of House Bill 15, Ohio lawmakers have made it very clear that reliability is a non-partisan priority and that Ohioans should not have to suffer due to the lack of investment by the energy provider.

Rep. Sims urges the PUCO to protect Ohioans by maintaining high standards for electric service providers and standing firm against FirstEnergy.