Office asks Ohio to ban Texas energy company

Gas supplier is trying to sign up Dayton customers, filing says.

The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel is warning state regulators against what it called in a regulatory filing a “rip-off artist that preyed on the good people of Ohio in its marketing of natural gas.”

The office is asking the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to require Texas-based gas supplier Verde Energy to acknowledge before Ohio regulators a recent complaint filed against Verde by Pennsylvania energy regulators.

Verde Energy is seeking to renew its PUCO certificate to expand into the Dayton area, an OCC spokeswoman said in an email. The OCC is asking the PUCO to permanently ban Verde from serving Ohio customers.

In a separate case, PUCO staff and Verde already reached a settlement for 18-month suspension from signing up new customers.

“This new Pennsylvania complaint seeks over $8.8 million in civil penalties against Verde’s affiliate, Verde Energy USA, Inc,” the counsel’s office said in its filing, which was submitted to the PUCO Wednesday. “Alternatively, OCC moves for administrative notice of the Pennsylvania commission complaint.”

In the complaint by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the commission seeks to revoke the license of Verde Energy for operating in Pennsylvania and to fine it nearly $9 million.

“There is good cause to grant OCC’s motions because information regarding the Pennsylvania complaint is directly relevant to whether Verde is capable (it’s not) of continuing to provide gas service to Ohioans and whether Verde is able to comply with PUCO rules and orders,” the OCC filing states.