Power plan

COLUMBUS: Ohio is no longer a finalist for a new steel mill and the $1 billion investment it would bring.

[Kim Warren]

Can't the PUCO do something more about the utilities' failure to keep the lights on? FirstEnergy has the highest rates in the state and the worst service record.

I think more should be done to address that. If we're going to get stuck with a high bill, it at least should be worth our while.

[Scooter Moonpie]

The Ohio Manufacturers' Association and various consumer groups pushed hard for dereg in the 90s. These are the same entities who are crying for "re-" regulation today. Utilities stood staunchly against dereg in the 90s.

Who's to blame?

Ohio's utilities have performed exceptionally well as they steered into an open market that has never existed before in Ohio. This editor's remarks about FE's declining service is ambiguous... they missed targets, but by how much? No firm numbers are cited.

Moral of this story is be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.

[CJA]

I note that the writer failed to point out that their prices have risen dramatically in recent years, too. Steel is up more than 200% in the last five years alone. Nice that manufacturers are able to recover their costs by raising their prices but utilities cannot.