PUCO Stays RESA Complaint Case On FirstEnergy EDCs' Billing Of Non-Regulated Services, Citing Ongoing Audit Proceeding

A Public Utilities Commission of Ohio attorney examiner has stayed a proceeding in which the Retail Energy Supply Association had filed a complaint against the FirstEnergy Ohio utilities, as RESA alleged that the billing of various nonelectric services offered on the "Smartmart By FirstEnergy" e-commerce site on the customer's FirstEnergy Ohio utility bill violates various statutory provisions related to corporate separation

See background on the RESA complaint here

The attorney examiner issued the stay given that the same issues are being addressed in a proceeding reviewing an audit report on the FirstEnergy EDCs' corporate separation

"In as much as RESA’s allegations are the subject of the investigation in the audit described above, as reflected in RESA’s submitted comments responding to the final audit report in that case, and in furtherance of administrative efficiency, the attorney examiner finds that this complaint proceeding should be stayed pending the outcome of Case No. 17-974-EL-UNC [the audit case]," the attorney examiner rules

See background on the audit proceeding here.

As part of the audit proceeding, as exclusively first reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com, an audit consultant has recommended that, if FirstEnergy Solutions continues as a retail supplier in Ohio, the name "FirstEnergy" should be removed from the competitive supplier's name