COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Wednesday ordered FirstEnergy to pay more than $250 million in total for misconduct related to the House Bill 6 bribery scandal.

The penalties, which include nearly $187 million that will be returned to FirstEnergy customers, come on top of $390 million in penalties and settlements the Akron-based utility has already paid in response to issues connected to the sweeping scandal, which has dragged in ex-PUCO Chair Sam Randazzo and ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, among others.

However, the penalty is less than the $544 million in total – including more than $467 million in customer refunds – that the state’s utility watchdog group called for FirstEnergy to pay.

The largest penalty imposed by the PUCO on Wednesday was nearly

See Full Page