COLUMBUS -- "The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has opened a review of FirstEnergy’s lobbying on House Bill 6, the nuclear bailout law that’s now the subject of a federal corruption probe.

A Tuesday filing from PUCO staff directs FirstEnergy and its Ohio affiliates to demonstrate that the costs of any political or charitable spending in support of the bill, or on a subsequent effort to thwart a campaign to repeal it, 'were not included, directly or indirectly, in any rates or charges paid by ratepayers in this state.'

...Critics, including Ohio Consumers' Counsel Bruce Weston, have said the allegations in the federal investigation raise questions over whether FirstEnergy’s spending violated laws that bar using ratepayer money on lobbying, as well as those restricting how companies like FirstEnergy financially support their tightly regulated retail affiliates. They have said PUCO, which regulates utilities in Ohio, should investigate.

The PUCO opened the case one week after Weston requested PUCO to hire a third-party auditor to investigate FirstEnergy’s political spending in support of House Bill 6. The new PUCO filing does not order such an audit, although the agency feasibly could at some point in the future. The PUCO also has the ability to subpoena records and force testimony from state utilities."

-- Andrew Tobias, cleveland.com

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