Thomas bill would require payment for power outages

Would provide residential credits equal to $50 or the monthly fee

State Rep. David Thomas, who represents parts of Trumbull County, introduced a bill to require electric utility companies to pay customers for repeated and/or prolonged power outages.

Thomas, R-Jefferson, is sponsoring the bill with state Rep. Trisan Rader, D-Cleveland.

With the Ohio House not meeting again until after the Nov. 3 election, Thomas said he didn't expect the bill to pass this year. But Thomas said he and Rader would introduce it again next year, which would give it until Dec. 31, 2028, to be approved by the state Legislature.

The Ohio Power Outage Relief Act would require electric distribution utilities to give residential credits equal to $50 or the customer's monthly utility fee, whichever is greater, once an outage qualifies. An additional credit of the same amount would apply for each 24 hours without service.

Prolonged outage protections would apply after 16 hours under normal conditions, 36 hours under the bill's "gray-sky" conditions and 72 hours under catastrophic conditions. Customers would also qualify after six sustained interruptions within 12 months.

"There are certain standards for natural disasters and emergencies for a certain time, but it's focused on grid failures," Thomas said. "This is more geared toward days when it's 65 degrees and the weather is perfect and the grid is not doing its job with people losing power. It happens often in certain parts of Cuyahoga County, but this would apply to the entire state."

Food and medical reimbursement would cover self-certified, itemized losses up to $250 and documented losses up to $600. Documented losses of refrigerated prescription medication could be reimbursed above that limit.

Also, utility companies could not recover the cost of these credits or reimbursements from customers, Thomas said.

Thomas said: "This is a basic question of responsibility. If a business fails to deliver the service people pay for, the customer deserves a remedy. Being a monopoly shouldn't give an electric utility a pass."

Thomas said he and Radar are "as diametrically opposed politically as possible, but we come together on certain issues to help consumers that we agree on."

Thomas said of the bill: "When my cellphone service goes out, my provider offers a credit because they want to keep my business. They know I can take it somewhere else. Families don't have that option with the electric company that owns the lines to their homes. When customers can't walk away, we need meaningful accountability. This bill puts the responsibility on the utility to help make those families whole."

Rader said: "Families are paying for a service they depend on. When that service fails, they deserve more than an apology. They deserve their money back and help replacing what they lost."