DISCUSSION: THE PUCO ALLOWED "AEP" A HUGE ELECTRIC RATE INCRASE; WILL OBAMA AND CONGRESSMAN BOCCIERI ACT TO HUGELY INCREASE YOUR NATURAL GAS RATE?

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) is on the mailing list of Mike Brakey of Brakey Consulting which is a firm which advises business customers on ways to save on their energy costs.

A recent e-mail contained the following informative piece on the potential for all Stark Countians and 16th District residents to be paying substantially more for their natural gas heating fuel. Coupled with the Ohio Public Utility Commission's approval of a 24% increase (AEP/Ohio Power over the next three years) in our electric bill, we could all be struggling to pay our day-in, day-out living expenses. And folks at the economic margins might not be able to cope with the increase at all.

Here is the Brakey Consulting piece:
Maybe we all need to be asking our new congressman about this proposed legislation? Will support it or not?

DISCUSSION: BOSLEY TO KEEP UP FIGHT AGAINST AEP 24% RATE INCREASE?

CORRECTED

Stark County Commissioner Todd Bosley is THE public official who started the Stark County fight against a rate increase filed by American Electric Power (AEP/Ohio Power [locally]).

The initial AEP request was for 52% over three (3) years. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) split the difference with AEP settling on 24% increase over three years.

Listen to Commissioner Bosley being interviewed by WKSU's Karen Schaefer below:

DISCUSSION: WILL THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF OHIO (PUCO) CONSIDER AEP'S USE OF CORPORATE AIRCRAFT (PERSONAL USE) IN ITS RATE INCREASE CASE?

UPDATE: From a source: "... THE 2007 FERC [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] filing for AEP, and Mike Morris' compensation package include $289,865 of "Personal Use of Company Aircraft.'' (Michael G. Morris-Chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer)

The STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) passes on a little tidbit to readers about what AEP (Ohio Power) is doing with some of the revenue it raises from electricity users.

The tidbit is from a friend of The Report who has connections inside the utility world, to wit:

A friend of mine was at a party with some of the AEP big shots and she said they were bragging that the company owns three jets -- and makes them available to the bosses for personal travel. I'm assuming we're paying for that, too.

Do you wonder whether or not member of the Stark County legislative caucus has any interest in looking into this bit of information?

How about it Oelslager, Okey, Schuring, Slesnick, Snichler and Shiavoni?

A SCPR GRAPHIC EDITORIAL

DISCUSSION: OELSLAGER IS NO MATCH FOR OHIO'S BIG ELECTRIC UTILITIES - BY HIS OWN WORD?

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 03, 2009

It has been pointed out that Representative Oelslager did write a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) on January 14th objected to the 52%/62% increase request. The objection was received by the PUCO on January 26th and can be viewed by CLICKING HERE.

A STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report) source relayed the following description of an exchange he recently had with state Representative Scott Oelslager regarding the source's attempt to have Oelslager excise from SB 221 the right of Ohio electric utilities to "veto" unliked Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) decisions on rate increase requests.

Readers of The Report are reminded of the drumbeat that The Report has going trying to rev up consumers and Ohio statehouse elected officials (including Stark's, to wit: Oelslager (R-51), Okey (D-61) Schuring (D-29), Slesnick (D-52), Snitchler (R-50)and Shiavoni (D-33)) to stop the exorbitant increase (52% over 3 years - residential; 62% over 3 years - business) requested by American Electric Power (locally, Ohio Power).

Only Snitchler and Schuring have put in objections with the PUCO.

A very anti-consumer measure included in SB 221 was a provision giving electric utilities a "veto" over the decisions of the PUCO which modify a utility submitted rate increase request.

All members of the Stark County delegation to the Ohio General Assembly have been contacted and asked to introduce legislation to take out the veto power (which was the pet project of former Speaker of the Ohio House Jon Husted and nurse-maided by Stark Countian John P. Hagan (R - Marlboro) who is now term-limited out of the Ohio House but who was chair of the House Public Utilities Committee when the veto power was inserted).

All that can be said for Scott Oelslager is his candor (why aren't the others acting on the request?)

Here is the source's description of his exchange with Oelslager and the source's analysis of how the veto power got in the bill:

What is more concerning is the comment that Scott Oeslager gave to me, "If this is legislation is going to change it has to come from someone allot [sic] higher than me." This tells me that this was truly a power brokered deal from the top of the State Legislature.

Has Oelslager been in Columbus too long or has Oelslager been in Columbus too long!!!!!!