Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) will call upon FirstEnergy to honor its promises to all-electrics consumers during a meeting of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) tomorrow night.  The meeting will begin at 5:45 pm at Strongsville High School; 20025 Lunn Road in Strongsville, Ohio.

“I strongly support the restoration of the all-electric rate, but I do not believe that the restoration of that rate should place any additional cost burden on other homeowners.  Any offsetting costs should be borne by the party that originally caused this problem – FirstEnergy Corporation,” Kucinich wrote to PUCO Chairman Alan Schriber earlier this year. 

Beginning in the 1970s, the utility companies that now make up FirstEnergy actively promoted all-electric homes, by offering a special low rate. In the last few years FirstEnergy decided it was no longer in the company’s interest to offer an all-electric discount rate.  They revoked it during the summer when it would create the least notice.  

The elimination of the all-electric rate will bring skyrocketing home heating costs for hundreds of thousands of Ohio residents. “Their bills will not go up for traditional reasons like supply and demand.  Their bills will rise because FirstEnergy decided that it would be more profitable to break its promise and raise rates. When many Americans are struggling just to stay in their homes, FirstEnergy has callously chosen to put ill-gotten profits ahead of their customers and their community,” said Kucinich

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