PARMA, Ohio — FirstEnergy is asking regulators for permission to allow longer and more frequent power outages.
It's a request that has caused a heated back-and-forth between the company, residents and lawmakers.
Back in 2024, the utility company petitioned the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for more time to restore power during outages and approval for more power outages.
The request comes despite major pushback from communities including Lakewood, Parma and Cleveland, where residents say they're "sick and tired of being in the dark."
Some state and local lawmakers have demanded PUCO deny the utility companies' requests.
State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan of Parma called the request "unacceptable and absurd," saying longer outages put residents on fixed incomes and those with health issues in immediate danger.
"They are relatively frequent and some of them are rather long, and it does cost residents thousands of dollars in food, but there's also the issue of folks that have medical devices that depend on the power to be on and be consistent," Brennan said.
Brennan said he has written a letter to PUCO asking it to reject FirstEnergy's proposal.
"I have had residents reach out to me just in the last couple of days that are very concerned about FirstEnergy's requests. So, what I've done is I've written a letter to the commissioners of PUCO asking them to reject FirstEnergy's proposal to allow them more time," he said.
Brennan questioned why service isn't improving despite significant investments and rising costs.
"We as rate payers have not only in Northeast Ohio, but throughout Ohio, have paid in the range of a billion dollars for FirstEnergy for upgrades to the grid. And so, wouldn't ya think that things should be getting better?" Brennan said.
Lakewood Mayor Meghan George previously told News 5 that the extended outages they have experienced in recent months are too frequent.
"Our thoughts are that with the continued issues of FirstEnergy and their lack of ability to provide reliable power, they shouldn't be granted additional time frames to get power restored to our community," George said.
George says the situation is dire in some instances, and she's fighting for residents.
"I'm not exaggerating when I say that these power outages are life and death matters. We've gotten calls about people running out of oxygen, stuck in elevators, having to throw out food at fixed incomes. That is just simply unacceptable in this day and age," George said.
FirstEnergy stands by its request to PUCO.
The company told News 5 in a statement:
"We’ve filed updated reliability standards with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) as part of our ongoing commitment to a stronger, more modern electric grid. PUCO will review the filing at a hearing on February 26.
Ohio’s weather has changed dramatically in recent years, with more frequent and intense storms impacting electric service. While major storms are excluded from reliability calculations, smaller but disruptive weather events, including heavier rainfall, and trees outside our rights-of-way have created new challenges. According to NOAA, severe weather events in Ohio have tripled in recent years—from an average of 2.3 per year (1980–2024) to 7.2 per year (2020–2024). These trends underscore why we’re taking proactive steps now.
Our request to update reliability standards reflects reality, but it does not change our promise to customers. In fact, we’re investing more than $3 billion through 2029 to strengthen poles, wires, and equipment across Ohio. These upgrades will make the grid more resilient and better prepared for the future.
Big improvements take time, but progress is underway. We’re focused on delivering reliable service today while building a smarter, stronger grid for tomorrow. Every Ohio community deserves dependable power—and we’re committed to making that happen."
Local lawmakers say they will continue to fight against the request.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is scheduled to hold a hearing on February 26, when commissioners will decide whether to approve or deny FirstEnergy's request.
News 5 will Follow Through and update you on the latest.
