If more of Ohio's electricity had to come from wind, thousands of jobs
would be created in the state, according to research released
yesterday.
The report, by environmental advocacy group Environment Ohio, comes
ahead of an energy plan that Gov. Ted Strickland has promised since his
campaign. Both will be part of an escalating debate on Ohio's energy
future that stems from the failed attempt to deregulate the state's
electricity market.
Ohio would gain 3,100 jobs, primarily in the manufacturing of
wind-related products, if wind generated 20 percent of the state's
electricity by 2020, the report said. It also would prevent the release
of 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the
emissions of more than 2 million cars, the report said.
Strickland's proposal, which he will give to legislators, also would
require that power be generated from renewable sources such as wind,
solar or hydroelectric energy. Nuclear power and coal technologies that
reduce emissions will be part of the proposal.
Details of Strickland's plan aren't known, but if it is approved by
legislators, Ohio would become one of more than 20 states that require
that some electricity come from renewable sources.
"Gov. Strickland and Ohio's leaders have an incredible opportunity,
but a small window," said Amy Gomberg, an advocate for Environment
Ohio. "A commitment to wind is a job-creator."
The lack of such a policy has discouraged wind-energy companies from
establishing operations in Ohio, said Mark Shanahan, Strickland's
energy adviser.
"They say, 'You must not want us,' " he said.
The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel also endorses the use of
renewable sources. Representatives joined Environment Ohio in releasing
the report yesterday, as did officials from organized labor and
manufacturers involved with wind energy.
"We need something to help us create some jobs, considering that
we've lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs in the past six years," said Tim
Burga, chief of staff for the Ohio AFL-CIO.
The plan could mean lost jobs in other industries, notably coal,
which generates nearly 90 percent of the state's electricity, said
James Newton, chief economic adviser at Commerce National Bank.
More than 3,000 Ohioans work in the coal industry, according to the
Ohio Coal Association, not counting employees at coal-burning
utilities, such as Columbus-based American Electric Power, which has
more than 7,000 Ohio workers.
Environment Ohio said any job losses would be more than offset by
gains in fields such as manufacturing, construction, and banking and
finance. Newton was skeptical.
"It's unlikely that all of that activity would be contained in the
state of Ohio," he said. "All of those jobs and the spinoff effects
would have to happen in Ohio."
The math makes more sense, Newton said, if federal laws are passed
to limit emissions of carbon dioxide, considered the leading culprit
behind global warming. That effort is picking up steam in Washington.
Environment Ohio's research is the latest voice in the state's
deregulation debate. Utilities, manufacturers and consumer groups also
have weighed in.
All agree that it would be best if legislators approve new
electricity rules by the end of this year. Transition plans that
allowed utilities small rate increases since January 2006 will expire
at the end of 2008, and state regulators think they will need a year to
sort through any new policy.
Some of Ohio's largest manufacturers said the state should
establish a new rate structure before addressing the issue of renewable
sources, which they say would bog down the process. Environment Ohio
and other groups oppose that idea.
paul.wilson@dispatch.com
