Environmental Advocates, Ohio Manufacturers & Business Leaders Praise Speaker Husted’s Plan to Boost Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Ohio’s Economy & Environment February 21, 2008

Columbus-Today, Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted announced new and improved standards for renewable energy and energy efficiency, including strong enforcement and benchmarks to ensure success. These standards were supported by Ohio environmental advocates and Ohio-based manufacturers and business leaders for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

January 9, 2008 - The Ohio House of Representatives heard testimony on the advanced energy standard in Senate Bill 221. Environment Ohio staff is continuing to advocate for strengthening the renewable energy portion of the legislation by advocating for stronger interim benchmarks that would result in Ohio reaching 10% of our electricity from clean wind energy and other renewable sources of power by 2018.

Click here to sign our petition for improving Senate Bill 221

Click here to email your representative in support of strengthening Senate Bill 221

November 7, 2007 - As Ohio’s leaders consider an energy plan for Ohio, a coalition of 22 State Representatives joined together to support a policy that would result in Ohio harnessing 10 percent of its electricity from wind energy within the next decade. The coalition, lead by state Representative Adams (R-Shelby), wrote and signed a letter that they sent to Governor Strickland, Speaker Husted and Senate President Harris in support of wind energy.

“Ohio’s wind energy resources could power at least 10 percent of our electricity needs within the next decade,” stated State Representative John Adams . “It’s time for Ohio to put the pieces together and get this show on the road.” 

Click Here to read the press release from the event

Click Here to read the letter in support of wind energy 

October 31st, 2007 - The Ohio Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 221 which includes a 12.5% requirement for clean, renewable energy by 2025. Environment Ohio praised Governor Strickland and the Ohio Senate for taking this first step to develop Ohio’s clean wind resources. Environment Ohio staff will be working to strengthen the legislation by advocating for stronger interim benchmarks that would result in Ohio reaching 10% of our electricity from clean wind energy and other renewable sources of power by 2018.

October 11, 2007 - Environment Ohio's Executive Director, Erin Bowser, testified in front of the Senate Energy Committee. The committee is considering Governor Strickland's energy plan for Ohio. The Governor's energy plan includes a 25% by 2025 "advanced energy" standard, with a 12.5% renewable energy component.

Bowser also presented information from a poll of Ohio voters. The poll's findings include:

• 80% of respondents had a favor setting a standard for renewable energy in Ohio which would require utilities to obtain twenty percent of their energy from renewable sources of energy like wind and solar by 2025.

•  There is strong majority support for a renewable energy standard exists across the state of Ohio and across the partisan political spectrum.

• Of the people who favor a renewable energy standard 87% believe that utility companies should be fined if they fail to meet the standard.

• 69% those respondents who believed that a renewable energy standard would raise their electricity rates still support the policy.  

Click Here to read more findings from the Ohio poll. (PDF)

Click Here to read the Senate Bill 221. (PDF)

Click Here to read Environment Ohio's testimony. (Word) 

August 23, 2007 - Joined with labor, business, consumer and environmental leaders from across the state, Environment Ohio released a new report "Energizing Ohio's Economy; Creating Jobs and Reducing Pollution with Wind Power."

The report reveals that a 20% commitment to wind energy by 2020 would result in a:

• Gain of 40,000 person-years of employment,

• Additional $3.7 billion in wages paid,

• Increase the Ohio gross state product by $8.2 billion,

• Generate up to $1.5 billion dollars in property taxes to county governments,

• Supplement rural landowner’ income by $200 million dollars,

• Avoid 170 million metric tons of global warming pollution (C02), which is equivalent to taking over 2 million cars off the road.

Click Here to read the report and press release

June 13, 2007 - Environment Ohio's State Director, Erin Bowser, and members of Environment Ohio's citizen outreach team stand in Goodale Park in Columbus with a display of 300 pinwheels in the shape of a wind turbine to demonstrate the strong potential and public support that clean energy has here in Ohio. Even if we only took advantage of a small portion of Ohio’s wind energy resources, Ohio could still harness at least 10-20 percent of our electricity from wind. Columbus news stations including ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox news all covered the event. 

May 9, 2007 - Environment Ohio's Environmental Advocate, Amy Gomberg presented testimony on Ohio's wind energy future to the House of Representative’s Alternative Energy Committee. Joining Gomberg as presentors to the committee were Dale Arnold from the Farm Bureau, and four different wind developing companies that are working in Ohio including Gamesa, JW Great Lakes Wind, Everpower Renewables, and Northcoast Wind and Power. Click Here to download the testimony.

April 19, 2007 - Environment Ohio released new wind maps and data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  The new data proves that Ohio could generate far more than 10 percent of its electricity from the Buckeye state’s own homegrown wind resources.  Currently, far less than one percent of Ohio’s energy comes from wind. Powering Ohio with clean, safe and affordable wind power will make Ohio more energy independent, create jobs, boost our economy, and reduce air pollution. With so much to gain, we shouldn’t wait any longer to reap the benefits of wind energy.