March, 2008
Dear Governor Strickland, Speaker Husted and President Harris,
Powering Ohio with clean, safe, and affordable renewable energy will make Ohio more energy independent. Harnessing our wind and solar energy potential will also create more jobs, boost our economy and reduce air pollution.
Harnessing Ohio’s clean renewable energy resources will bring many additional benefits to Ohio.
Energy Independence: Energy imports cost Ohio billions of dollars. By increasing Ohio’s clean, homegrown energy resources we can keep more Ohio dollars in state.
Farmland and Rural Development: Farmers who lease their land to wind developers could receive annual payments from $4,000 to $8,000 per wind turbine. Rural economies could also benefit from tax revenues generated from installing wind turbines.
Job Creation: Currently, there are more than 75 companies in Ohio that are already a part of the wind energy supply chain and dozens more that are involved in other renewable energies. Over two thousand Ohio businesses have the capacity to make component parts and materials used in renewable energy development. A national investment in wind, solar, geothermal and biomass energy could bring over 22,000 manufacturing jobs to Ohio.
A Healthier Environment: Wind turbines and solar panels produce energy without using any polluting fuels or leaving behind any toxic emissions or waste. By increasing the energy we produce from renewable resources we will be creating a healthier and cleaner future for our children.
Ohio’s clean energy future will become a reality if we act now and start investing in real energy solutions. That is why we, the undersigned, urge you to work together to enact a strong renewable energy standard that includes interim benchmarks, enforcement measures and penalties for noncompliance, such as those included in House Bill 487.
In order to create a demand for renewable energy today we urge you to include interim renewable energy requirements so that Ohio will achieve at least 10 percent of its electricity from renewable resources within the next decade. These interim requirements will send a clear message to businesses in the renewable energy industry that Ohio is ready for their business today. Additionally, we urge you to include penalties in the legislation that will ensure compliance with this measure.
Thank you for these considerations.
Sincerely,
Environment
Erin Bowser, State Director
614-460-8732
ebowser@environmentohio.org
www.environmentohio.org
Honeywell Lighting
and Electronics
Jeff Jacobs
Technical Sales Manager
937-484-2875
jeff.jacobs@honeywell.com
Melink
Stephen K. Melink, PE, President
smelink@melinkcorp.com
WebCore Technologies,
Inc.
Rob Banerjee
Vice
President of Business Development
937-435-2200, ext. 224
rbanerjee@webcoreonline.com
3-D Service, Ltd.
Bernie Dewees, President & John Jaunich, Manager – Wind Power Division
330-830-5860
jjaunich@3-dservice.com
JW Great Lakes Wind,
LLC.
Peter
Endres, Research/Project Manager
(216) 344-9305
endres@juwi-international.com
Dovetail Solar and
Wind
Alan Frasz
Vice President
9116
440-543-7069
afrasz@dovetailsolar.com
Benjamin
Company
Kenneth S. Benjamin, President
1-419-285-2585
ksb@kenben.com
www.kenben.com
Everpower Renewables
Kevin Sheen
Vice President
212-647-8111
ksheen@everpower.com
Invenergy Wind
Development LLC
Eric Miller
Director of Business Development
301-221-2424
jschoenberger@invenergyllc.com
Noble Environmental
Power
Andrew Hinckley
Director of Business Development
Stark’s Inc. / Green by Design
Michelle
O'Dell, Marketing Specialist
02425 CR 12/C
P: 419.636.3606
www.starksinc.com
Green Energy Technologies
Mark
Cironi, President
330-388-3701
Mark.Cironi@getsmartenergy.com
John James Sekulic
President & Chief Operations Manager
10207
440-935-5154, john@stgeorgesre.com
Allen County
Commissioners
Sam Bassitt, W. Dan Reiff, Greg Sneary
419-228-3700
Champaign
Max Coates, Steven Hess, Bob Corbett
937-484-1611, prittenhouse@co.champaign.oh.us
Robert Downing, Terry Haworth, & Michael Rhoades
520 S. Broadway,
thaworth@co.darke.oh.us, rdowning@co.darke.oh.us, mrhoades@co.darke.oh.us
Joe Short, Dean Genter, Paul Barnaby
Wauseon, Oh 43567
419-337-9255
jshort@fultoncountyoh.com
Lucas County
Commissioners
Tina Skeldon Wozniak, Pete Gerken, Ben Konop,
One
Toledo, OH
43604
http://www.co.lucas.oh.us
Edward W. Olson, Tim Wert
EOlson@richlandcountyoh.us
twert@richlandcountyoh.us
Donald Scherer
Environmental
Professor
Philip L. Taylor
The Perkins Professor of Physics and Professor of Macromolecular Science
Philip.Taylor@case.edu
Bill De Mora, Executive Director
wdemora@columbus.rr.com
http://www.ohiolcv.org/
Audubon
Jerome C. Tinianow
Vice President and Ohio Executive Director
jtinianow@audubon.org, www.audubonohio.org
Jack Shaner, Public Affairs Director
1207 Grandview Ave. – Room 201
Columbus, OH 43212-3439
ph: 614-487-7506 x12
Jack@theOEC.org,
www.theOEC.org
Greater
Gene Krebs, State Director
614.258.1713
gkrebs@greaterohio.org
Windustrious Cleveland
Sarah
Taylor, Initiator,
www.windustrious.org
sarah@windustrious.org
330-876-8208
joelogan@nlc.net
Izaak Walton League
of
Raymond Zehler, Executive Director
513-868-3179
zehleriwla@msn.com
Rails-to-Trails
Conservancy
Rhonda L. Border-Boose, Director
Winchester
614.837.6782
rhonda@railstotrails.org
www.railstotrails.org
Green Environmental Coalition
Dawn
Falleur, Director
gec@greenlink.org, www.greenlink.org