Sam Randazzo, who previously chaired the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, has been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud and other crimes linked to Ohio’s ongoing corruption scandal, along with embezzlement charges. He has pleaded not guilty. FirstEnergy admitted in 2021 that a $4.3 million payment was a bribe meant to help secure passage of Ohio’s coal and nuclear bailout law, House Bill 6, and to get other favorable regulatory treatment for the company and its utilities.
Gov. Mike DeWine doesn’t directly address call for independent investigation of FirstEnergy; says it’s up to the PUCO
Updated Dec 23, 2020;
Posted Dec 23, 2020
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine didn t say whether he thinks there should be an independent investigation of FirstEnergy.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine, staying mum on his views of whether FirstEnergy should be independently investigated, said Wednesday that the next leadership of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio would make that decision.
“Candidly, I’ve been busy on this,” DeWine said during his Wednesday coronavirus briefing, referring to his announcement about the next group of people who will be prioritized for the coronavirus vaccine. “I glanced at the letter. I thought what the letter was indicating is they want the PUCO to do that. So that would be something under the new leadership of the PUCO.”
12.21.2020 / 5:12 PM Catherine Turcer Executive Director Common Cause Ohio (614) 579-5509 cturcer@commoncause.org
Today, a collection of open government and consumer advocates and former Statehouse reporters who championed open and accountable government called on Governor Mike DeWine to require additional financial disclosure from applicants to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO).
Their letter calls for the governor to require all finalists to disclose all work they have done with utilities, their consultants, and lobbyists over the past 10 years including the nature of the work performed and the amount of compensation received.
“Ohio’s financial disclosure requirements are simply inadequate,”
said Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio. “We are urging Governor DeWine to require more robust disclosure for the applicants before he considers appointing one of them to
Dec 22, 2020
COLUMBUS (AP) A central Ohio judge on Monday blocked the subsidies from a $1 billion nuclear bailout law at the center of a $60 million bribery probe, as state lawmakers scrambled to decide the fate of a repeal effort and nominees were chosen to succeed a utility regulator who resigned amid the investigation.
Franklin County Judge Chris Brown sided with Republican Attorney General Dave Yost and the cities of Cincinnati and Columbus in granting a preliminary injunction that would block the subsidies that were set to be added to every electric bill in the state starting Jan. 1.
“Today’s ruling is a win for all Ohioans,” Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said in a statement. “HB 6 was passed through deceit, deception and corruption and this decision means that Ohio ratepayers will keep their hard-earned dollars instead of paying for a massive corporate bailout.”