Reflecting on 2022
As 2022 comes to a close, I want to highlight some of the important work that the PUCO accomplished during the year. Listed below are highlights from the year that emphasize how our staff fulfills every aspect of the PUCO mission.
As part of our mission, the PUCO is tasked with assuring all residential and business consumers access to adequate, safe and reliable utility services at fair prices, while also facilitating an environment that provides competitive choices.
Safety is one of the most crucial tenants of our mission. From natural gas pipeline operators and electric utilities to commercial trucks and trains, the PUCO enforces important state and federal safety standards. When violations occur, the PUCO will take enforcement action which includes ordering corrective action and monetary fines.
Ensuring access to critical utility service remains one of our agency’s highest priorities. Increased eligibility for income assistance programs as well as the continued issuance of the Special Reconnect Order will assist customers this winter heating season and year-round. The PUCO also continues to monitor Ohio’s competitive energy markets as price fluctuations affect utility bills.
As we ring in 2023, I have full confidence that the great work of the PUCO will continue.
|
PUCO Call Center assisting utility customers
Throughout 2022, the PUCO Call Center received over 61,000 calls, emails, and letters, from utility consumers. Many of these consumers have a question a representative can quickly handle. In other instances, issues require a closer examination. At that point, a PUCO investigator is assigned to look into the matter. PUCO Call Center staff performed 13,185 investigations into customer complaints. In 2022, the PUCO Call Center saved Ohio consumers more than $1 million through its investigations.
PUCO ordered refunds and fines for two retail energy providers
In May, the PUCO adopted settlement agreements for two retail energy providers to resolve allegations of misleading marketing and enrollment practices.
Ambit
Ambit Northeast will pay a $20,000 civil forfeiture to the state of Ohio, implement a new enrollment auditing program, and hold additional employee training. Ambit has already refunded customers who were improperly enrolled any amounts paid above their local utility’s default rate.
Josco
Josco Energy USA will pay a $16,000 civil forfeiture to the state of Ohio, implement a new compliance plan for vendor screening and quality assurance, and provide sales call scripts to PUCO staff for review. Josco will also refund 215 customers any amounts paid above their local utility’s default rate.
READ MORE
|
PUCO orders utilities to serve customers of competitive suppliers
In 2022, the PUCO ordered Ohio's utilities to serve customers of two competitive retail energy service providers. Ohio law requires electric and natural gas distribution utilities to arrange for service if a competitive supplier is no longer able to provide service for any reason. No customers experienced service outages as a result of these actions.
Gasearch
The PUCO approved the removal of competitive retail natural gas supplier Gasearch, LLC from Dominion Energy Ohio’s energy choice program. On Oct. 20, 2021, Gasearch announced its intention to close the business and cease supplying natural gas by the end of October, in violation of its obligations as a participant in the program.
Customers of Gasearch were automatically transitioned to Dominion’s standard choice offer or another natural gas supplier of their choice.
Switch Energy
The PUCO also approved the termination of service from Switch Energy LLC, a competitive retail electric service provider. On Nov. 2, 2021, regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection directed Ohio’s electric distribution utilities to return customers of Switch Energy to standard service after the supplier did not meet their financial obligations.
Current Switch Energy customers received a letter from their utility informing them their service had been returned to the utility’s “standard service offer”.
READ MORE
Unanimous settlement agreement approved for Aqua Ohio water and sewer rate cases
This fall, the PUCO approved a unanimous settlement agreement setting new rates for water and sewer service for Aqua Ohio.
The settlement agreement called for Aqua Ohio to increase its annual revenues for water and sewer service.The average residential user will see a $3.04 - $4.01 increase in their monthly water bill, and a $0 - $4.97 increase in monthly sewer bills, depending on service territory.
The settlement also called for Aqua Ohio to provide shareholder funding to its low-income water assistance program. Aqua will also make customer disconnection data and statistics publicly available on its website.
|
PUCO special reconnect order helps Ohioans stay warm this winter heating season
For more than 30 years, the PUCO’s special reconnect order has allowed any residential customer of a PUCO-regulated electric or natural gas company avoid a service disconnection for nonpayment. Last winter heating season, more than 187,400 Ohioans used the Special Reconnect Order, then known as the Winter Reconnect Order.
Under the Special Reconnect Order, customers must pay the utility no more than $175 plus any applicable reconnection charge which cannot exceed $36. If the utility’s reconnect charge is greater than $36, the balance above $36 may be charged to the customer on the customer’s next monthly bill.
|
Low-income assistance program eligibility changes
In 2022, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that more Ohioans are now eligible for electric and natural gas assistance from the Ohio Department of Development and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Governor DeWine signed Executive Order 2022-12D, which authorizes the Ohio Department of Development to work in partnership with PUCO to implement emergency rules that increase the income threshold for Ohio's Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP). The threshold changed from the current 150 percent of the federal poverty level to 175 percent.
PIPP helps eligible Ohioans manage their energy bills year-round. Utility payments are based on a percentage of the monthly household income and are consistent year-round. Customers that make their payments on-time and in-full may have the balance of their bills eliminated.
READ MORE
PUCO approves Duke Energy Ohio settlement agreement including customer credits
This year, the PUCO also approved a settlement agreement resolving several natural gas regulatory cases involving Duke Energy Ohio. As a result, many of Duke Energy Ohio’s residential natural gas customers saw a large bill credit, in some cases up to $133.
The settlement agreement resolved proceedings related to Duke Energy Ohio’s 2013-2019 expenses for environmental remediation of manufactured gas plants, and the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017.
Under the terms of the settlement, Duke Energy Ohio applied insurance proceeds, TCJA savings, and PUCO staff adjustments to the utility’s remediation costs, to eliminate approximately $85 million in costs that otherwise would be billed to customers. Approximately $4.8 million in remaining insurance proceeds are being used to fund the utility’s low-income and senior citizen bill assistance programs.
READ MORE
$800,000 in hazmat grants awarded to Ohio schools and local governments
Each year, the PUCO awards up to $800,000 in grants to educational institutions and local governments to conduct hazardous materials training for Ohio’s first responders. Money for these grants comes from civil forfeitures assessed on hazardous materials carriers by the PUCO. The PUCO awarded 16 hazmat grants in August.
READ MORE
|
Highway and train safety
The PUCO ordered a total of 208 rail crossing safety upgrades during 2021, including the installation of lights and gates, supplemental assistance upgrades and circuitry upgrades. These upgrades are funded through federal, state and local monies. The rail division regularly conducts rail and safety inspections at Ohio’s more than 5,600 public roadway/rail grade crossings.
Keeping Ohio’s highways safe
The PUCO serves as the lead agency for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program and in this capacity partners with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) to ensure that commercial motor vehicles are safely traveling throughout Ohio.
PUCO inspectors conducted more than 4,317 driver/vehicle inspections during 2022. Each inspection follows a thorough process to ensure that the driver and vehicle meet necessary state and federal regulations. Vehicles, drivers and companies that fail to meet these regulations may be declared out-of-service and cannot continue operating until they comply. Additionally, the PUCO conducted 481 motor carrier and shipper compliance reviews to ensure proper state and federal safety and hazardous materials regulations were followed.
PUCO staff conducted a record number 2,160 new entrant safety audits this year to help them understand and comply with applicable safety and hazardous materials regulations.
When violations of important safety standards are found, they can lead to civil forfeitures (monetary fines) for drivers and trucking companies. PUCO motor carrier inspectors issued 5,395 citations totaling $975,097. Civil forfeitures collected fund the PUCO’s hazmat grants and are also contributed to the state of Ohio’s General Revenue Fund.
|
Ohio Power Siting Board case review
In 2022, 109 new applications were filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). Board staff also reviewed and filed 112 total staff reports, which require detailed investigations into project area geography, public need, environmental impact and more.
In 2022, the OPSB approved the construction of 9 new solar facilities in Ohio as well as the first 200 MW battery storage energy project. Over the last few years, in total, the OPSB has approved 5,725 MW of solar energy facilities in addition to the 450 MW currently operating and the 3,139 MW in pending and pre-application status.
READ MORE ABOUT THE OPSB HERE
|
PUCO advocates on behalf of Ohio consumers at FERC
PUCO commissioners and the PUCO’s Office of the Federal Energy Advocate both participate in proceedings before federal regulators, such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). During 2022, the Federal Energy Advocate submitted comments regarding electric transmission planning, natural gas infrastructure, cybersecurity and much more.
|
