Dive Summary:

• American Electric Power is facing opposition from around the state after it made a request that its Ohio customers pay $62 million in repairs costs stemming from a series of severe storms.
• If approved, the increase would cost the average customer about $3 a month for a year, which is about a two percent increase; customers have asked the state's Public Utilities Commission to reject the increase on the grounds that it should count as part of the utility's "price of doing business."
• Regulators aren't expected to rule on the increase request until the spring.

From the article:

Nearly three dozen customers from Columbus, Lima, Newark, Wooster and elsewhere have asked the PUCO to oppose the request. They say the utility should accept the loss as the price of doing business, take out insurance for such catastrophes and do more to trim trees and bury power lines.

Tonda Young of Glenford in southeast Ohio lost power for nine days, beginning June 29 and lost hundreds of dollars in frozen and refrigerated food. She also spent extra money eating out and driving miles to find stores with supplies. ...