|
Where to begin?
To recap: FirstEnergy, in a deal with prosecutors, has admitted to a bribery scheme to pass HB6, which they funded with $61 million.
FirstEnergy said the money helped Householder get elected, so he could pass HB6, which the company had been pursuing unsuccessfully for years. The money also bought ads to pressure state lawmakers to pass the bill, and to undermine a ballot initiative campaign to repeal it.
Now, according to a recent audit for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, FirstEnergy should refund ratepayers $6.6 million for costs that were improperly classified, misallocated or poorly documented.
We want a deeper investigation
The audit found payments from FirstEnergy connected to the nuclear bailout bribery scandal, including Generation Now which pleaded guilty.
But the report only looked into 17 payments specifically flagged by FirstEnergy.
Rachael Belz, our executive director, thinks we need to dig deeper.
"You have to wonder, what else don't we know? And it just seems like this scheme, all around, all the way, top-to-bottom, you know Householder, HB6, Sam Randazzo, PUCO, FirstEnergy, the whole thing it's overwhelming,"
We need to hold Governor DeWine accountable
It was clear well before he was appointed that Sam Randazzo had deep ties to FirstEnergy and a known bias toward renewables and efficiency. The fact that the Governor still can't admit that he made a poor choice is inexcusable.
Please contribute to help us continue to this work to root out corruption.
|