Every day, new details emerge that put the House Bill 6 FirstEnergy scandal one step closer to Governor Mike DeWine’s office. There is no denying Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted knew of former PUCO Chairman Sam Randazzo’s close ties to FirstEnergy when he was appointed for the job. They chose to let the fox guard the hen house, disregarded multiple public warnings, and now they are trying to hide from the truth.

More Empty Promises

The DeWine Administration has created a culture in Ohio where utilities are in control of politics and policy decisions. Now, they are backtracking, hoping Ohioans won’t notice the flip flop. On January 12, Governor DeWine told the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board that he doesn’t support a “remnant of the scandal-ridden House Bill 6 that requires Ohio ratepayers to subsidize an Indiana coal-fired power plant.” He also pledged his campaign would no longer accept any political contributions from FirstEnergy Corporation. Finally, he hinted he was open “in principle” to making some changes regarding how the Public PUCO members are chosen.

But these are nothing more than empty promises! For years, Governor DeWine has had the power to oppose the House Bill 6 coal subsidies and make changes at the PUCO, yet no actions have been taken. In fact, Governor DeWine just reappointed a PUCO Commissioner who has represented regulated utilities for more than 30 years. Furthermore, he pledged to reject FirstEnergy campaign contributions at a time when the utility has suspended making political donations. Now that the cash is flowing again, will he keep that promise? He just accepted $13,000 from AEP right before they turned off the lights for 250,000 Central Ohio customers.

The Buck Stops with You, Governor

Governor DeWine has often been quoted as saying the “buck stops with me.” Will he put his actual money where his mouth is? Campaign cash from Ohio’s top utilities have given them free reign over energy policy for far too long. If the buck truly does stop with Governor DeWine’s office, then he must donate to charity all campaign contributions received from regulated electric utilities and pledge not to accept any new contributions moving forward.

Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted–will you pledge to donate all electric utility campaign contributions to charity and reject any future donations from regulated electric utilities? 

Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted should not benefit from those who benefited from House Bill 6. Don’t let Ohio continue to foster a culture of corruption!