A formal statement has been created by the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) regarding a proposal made by FirstEnergy.

The OCC is urging the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to reject FirstEnergy's proposal, which, if approved by the state, would establish new reliability performance standards.

The counsel argues these performance standards should hold utilities accountable for supplying results from investments funded by consumers.

Critics say FirstEnergy's proposal could increase the number of power outages and longer restoration times for residents.

The OCC states consumers' health could pay the price if it were approved. 

"Lower outages mean consumers go without the ability to heat their home in winter and cool their home in the summer. Going without heating or cooling can be dangerous to a consumer's health, and can even be fatal, due to unsafe temperatures," OCC's testimony states.

OCC is instead recommending "stronger benchmarks that reflect the investments consumers have already funded and the level of service they expect."

Below, you can find stories on local representatives and city council officials and their thoughts on the FirstEnergy proposal.

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