Energy In the News

Governor Ted Strickland took steps Wednesday toward fulfilling a campaign promise to focus on energy issues by creating a new advisory position and announcing plans to track state agency carbon “footprints.”

The governor signed an executive order (No. 2007-02S) to establish the post of “energy advisor to the governor” and outline related policy objectives.

“One of the core principles of my Turnaround Ohio plan is to invest in Ohio's strengths,” Mr. Strickland said in a news release. “Clearly, energy production is one of those strengths. I am convinced that we can create thousands of good-paying jobs by encouraging next-generation energy production in Ohio including ethanol, clean coal, wind and solar.”

He appointed Mark Shanahan, executive director of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, to the new advisory position.

“The energy advisor will work directly with the agencies to secure maximum efficiency, coordination and consistency across state government,” Gov. Strickland said. “This advisor will keep energy a state priority while creating a better environment and boosting economic development in energy and manufacturing sectors.”

Under the executive order, the energy advisor will coordinate energy policy and work with liaisons to be designated by each state agency. Mr. Shanahan, who will retain his current post at OAQDA, will also serve as the governor’s science and technology representative on the Third Frontier Commission.

Mr. Strickland’s executive order also:

--Instructs state agencies to immediately implement energy savings policies that recently became law instead of waiting until April 13.

--Directs the Department of Administrative Services to work with the energy advisor in establishing, March 16, 2007, a measure of state agency, board and commission energy consumption that includes calculations of each group’s “carbon footprint.”

--Requires that all agencies, boards and commissions complete “energy audits” of their facilities by June 2007 and then reduce building energy use by 5% in the first year of the next biennium and 15% after four fiscal years.

--Instructs DAS to reduce the state’s consumption of petroleum by increasing the number of state vehicles that use alternative fuel sources and prepare plans to establish E85 and biodiesel fuel pumps with the goal of increasing by 25% the biodiesel share of state diesel fuel purchases by Jan. 1, 2008.

--Creates the Governor’s Higher Education Energy Challenge award and recognition program to encourage energy efficiency innovation at colleges and universities.

Environment Ohio called Gov. Strickland’s announcement “a step in the right direction for Ohio to become energy independent” and issued a call for more wind energy production in the state.

“Harnessing our own homegrown energy from the wind that blows across the Buckeye state and leveraging our extensive manufacturing base would be a real investment in our economy and put more Ohioans to work,” Director Erin Bowser said in a news release.

“We applaud the Governor’s efforts to prioritize more sustainable energy development and we hope that he’ll take the next step and set a goal of 10% of our energy coming from wind within the next decade.”

Ohio Environmental Council Public Affairs Director Jack Shaner called Mr. Shanahan an “excellent choice” for the job and lauded Mr. Strickland’s energy policy plan.

“Ohio has been adrift without a clear policy and missing the boat,” he said, while states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania “are rushing ahead of us” by requiring electric utilities to incorporate renewable energy sources into their portfolios.

“We are the fifth-largest consumer of energy yet we’ve hardly scratched the surface on developing efficient and renewable energy,” Mr. Shaner added. Less than 1% of the electricity generated in the state comes from renewable sources.