FirstEnergy Ends Another Consumer Fee; More Questions Raised About $4M Payment to Randazzo

FirstEnergy announced this week it was ending a “lost distribution revenue” fee the utility has collected since 2011. In addition, the utility said it was taking other “proactive steps” in an attempt to repair its reputation amid the House Bill 6/Larry Householder bribery and racketeering scandal. This comes just two weeks after FirstEnergy announced it would forego the decoupling fee authorized by HB 6.

Meanwhile, Cleveland.com reporter Andrew Tobias reports that in a new disclosure to federal regulators, FirstEnergy is bringing renewed attention to a questionable $4 million payment the company made to former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Chairman Sam Randazzo. The company now believes the payments “may have been for purposes other than those represented within the consulting agreement” that FirstEnergy had with Randazzo. The discovery of the payment prompted FirstEnergy to fire its then-CEO and other top executives last fall. 2/18/2021