COLUMBUS — As they promised at the time of the decision, environmental groups on Monday appealed August’s ruling by state regulators to grant what they call a “bailout” of FirstEnergy Corp. by its 1.9 million customers.
The roughly $132.5 million to be collected by FirstEnergy before taxes is supposed to be earmarked for future improvements to the utility’s electricity distribution grid. Including taxes, the total tab is expected to be about $204 million a year for three to five years.
The environmental groups maintain the decision by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is a backdoor way to bail out a FirstEnergy subsidiary’s uncompetitive coal-fired and nuclear power plants, including Davis-Besse near Oak Harbor.
The PUCO decision was appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court.
First Published October 16, 2017, 9:13 p.m.