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Louisiana teachers' union concerned about educators' future; Supreme Court hears arguments in Trump immunity case; court issues restraining order against fracking waste-storage facility; landmark NE agreement takes a proactive approach to CO2 pipeline risks.

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Speaker Johnson accuses demonstrating students of getting support from Hamas. TikTok says it'll challenge the ban. And the Supreme Court dives into the gray area between abortion and pregnancy healthcare, and into former President Trump's broad immunity claims.

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The urban-rural death divide is widening for working-age Americans, many home internet connections established for rural students during COVID have been broken, and a new federal rule aims to put the "public" back in public lands.

Groups Speak Out about First Energy "Bailout"

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Friday, October 14, 2016   

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Some Ohio consumer groups are speaking out over what they call a "corporate bailout" for First Energy. This week, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved a rate increase for First Energy that amounts to $204 million a year for three years.

While First Energy said the money is for grid modernization, Trey Addison, associate state director for AARP Ohio, contends there are no guarantees in the rider stating that's where it will go.

"There's a whole lot of loopholes in there, where First Energy can use these resources to take care of some items that are not related, frankly, to modernizing the grid," he said. "We don't want to see consumers bailing out and really subsidizing companies if it's not beneficial for the consumer."

The rate increase is roughly three percent, which amounts to about three dollars more on the average monthly energy bill. First Energy initially requested about $500 million annually over eight years. The company said it is disappointed in the decision, and said the amount granted is not enough to cover necessary investments.

According to Addison, the increase negates any benefits that a more competitive energy market brings to businesses and consumers, including lower wholesale energy prices. And he noted AARP Ohio's concern is for lower-income customers, who will be disproportionately affected.

"For us, we're concerned about the individual on a fixed income who consistently has watched their bill go up every single month, and that income really is not going up at the same rate," he explained.

He added the decision sets a scary precedent, opening the door for other utility companies asking for similar deals.

"We don't want to go down the slippery slope of consumers having to continue to pay higher fees and higher rates when they don't have to," he said. "We have a lot of generation coming on-line in the state of Ohio, so energy rates should not be going up. If anything, they should be going down or remaining the same."

The Alliance for Energy Choice, the Ohio Environmental Council and the Ohio Manufacturers Association are among consumer and business groups also opposing the increases.


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