FirstEnergy cost plan challenged
The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel is challenging a request by FirstEnergy to pass costs onto consumers stemming from a change in regional transmission organizations.

The OCC filed its protest last week with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, arguing the utility has not provided sufficient evidence to show customers will benefit from the utility's decision to change regional transmission organizations. The FERC should instead require FirstEnergy's shareholders to pay the costs resulting from the utility's switch from the Midwest ISO to the PJM Interconnection, Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said.

"FirstEnergy has asked to recover substantial and unwarranted costs from its transmission customers," Consumers' Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said. "Given that this was a business decision, passing on the substantial cost increases to captive customers for these decisions is not justified or right."

The OCC is estimating the transfer of FirstEnergy's transmission assets to PJM could cost customers as much as $84 million annually, or a 38 percent increase in the transmission portion of residential customers' bill.

A settlement approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in August 2010 would prevent FirstEnergy from recovering some of the costs from customers should the FERC decide the utility can recover the costs of the RTO switch. The OCC argued FERC should not allow any of the costs resulting from the switch to be collected from FirstEnergy's customers.

Voting forms available
Birchard Public Library has forms available for new residents or people who have recently moved to update their voter registration. 

The forms are available at the check-out desks of all library locations: 423 Croghan Street in Fremont, 100 N. Webster Street in Gibsonburg, 217 N. Broadway in Green Springs, and 101 E. Main Street in Woodville.

The main library in Fremont is open evenings, Monday through Thursday until 8:30 p.m., and the branches are open Monday and Wednesday evenings until 8 p.m. 

Library report open for review
The cash basis annual financial report of the Harris- Elmore Public Library for calender year 2010 is available for public inspection at the library, 328 Toledo St., Elmore,

Contact Julia M. Bergman, fiscal officer, at 419 862-2573 for an appointment.

Bridge closed
Billman Road over Cedar Creek, between Reservation Line Rd. and Curtice East and West Road, will be out of service beginning Feb. 28, the Ottawa County engineer’s office has announced.

The bridge is expected to reopen May 20.

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