Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s quip about First Energy revenues rated No. 1 for 2010

The quirkyness of a statement from Rep. Marcy Kaptur caught the eye of the editors at PolitiFact Ohio. After making more than 100 Truth-O-Meter rulings, they chose one of her comments as the No. 1 item in the Top 10 for 2010.

Her claim: Electric utility FirstEnergy’s annual revenues are greater “than the GDP of Haiti, Kyrgyzstan, Iceland, or 15 African nations.”

More than 360,000 customers with “all electric” homes were shocked when Akron-based FirstEnergy began to phase out discounted rates it had provided for decades.

FirstEnergy said those customers need to pay the actual costs for the services they receive, and the longtime discounts couldn”t continue because of electricity deregulation and new conservation mandates, The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio took up the issue after some families complained of doubled electricity bills, and held hearings on the subject throughout the state.

Kaptur told the PUCO that the discounts should remain, and noted they were part of a longtime all-electric marketing scheme in which the company agreed to provide lower rates to customers who forfeited alternative utility choices. What got PolitiFact Ohio’s attention was her comment that First Energy’s revenues were greater than many countries’ gross domestic products.

That’s when we decided to do some digging.

Previously

• No. 10 through No. 5 in PolitiFact Ohio’s countdown of the Top 10 for 2010.
• John Boehner’s ice-maker claim rated No. 4
• A claim by Rob Portman that helped debunk a myth is rated No. 3
• Glenn Beck’s real-life “It’s a Wonderful Life” tale is rated No. 2