by Aaron Marshall
Pressure and time. Crank up some heat, and
that's the basic recipe that nature has followed for millions of years
to create the coal beds in Ohio's soil.
Those elements were also at play in Milwaukee last week, when
Gov. Ted Strickland found himself in a delicate political situation as
Midwestern governors gathered to sign a pair of regionwide agreements.
The twin pacts are basically agreements among Midwestern states and the
Canadian province of Manitoba to reduce greenhouse gases, increase
alternative-fuel production and raise renewable energy standards in the
distant future. (You remember Manitoba - it's the honeymoon spot for
elk squeezed somewhere between Toronto and Vancouver or something.)
Snuggling up with the greenies is good politics for Strickland,
who surely counts the hybrid- driving, Al Gore-movie-loving,
replant-the-rainforest crunchola crowd among his Democratic base. Not
to mention that Strickland has expressed deep concerns in private about
global warming.
However, political pitfalls lurked in the details. Strickland
has long been cozy with coal interests since his days as an Appalachian
Congressman, and a good chunk of the early money in his gubernatorial
campaign came from Big Coal. (As the late Ohio Gov. Jim Rhodes
supposedly said, "When you give money early, then you get what you
want. When you give late, you get good government.")
And when you talk about Ohio reducing its greenhouse-gas
emissions, you're talk ing about coal - the dirty-burning sub stance
that provides the juice for dozens of Ohio power plants. Because of
coal-fired plants, the Buckeye State is riding so dirty that
Environment Ohio counts the state as the fourth-largest contributor to
global warming pollution in the country.
So what's a green, coal-lovin' governor to do? Pressured on
both sides, Strickland chose a middle path - signing the agreement
covering alternative fuels and renewable energy but taking a walk on
the greenhouse-gas pact and just agreeing to be an "observer."
Strickland
energy czar Mark Shanahan, who attended the conference on the
governor's behalf, said Ohio didn't sign the greenhouse-gas agreement
because the Democrat believes a national solution is needed.
Of course, the decline to sign by Strickland also just happens
to help Ohio utilities and industries. Because the greenhouse- gas pact
would establish a cap- and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gases,
Ohio businesses and power plants would eventually be forced to install
expensive controls or fork over money to buy credits from those who do.
Either way, Ohio industries and power plants would shoulder a
heavy burden as the state moved to meet the requirements. And
Strickland isn't eager to sign up to hand out that kind of punishment,
no matter how many hybrids have his bumper sticker on them.
Key legislation
Here's how the Northeast Ohio delegation in the state legislature voted on key legislation this week:
School threats:
House Bill 142, toughens penalties for inducing a panic at schools and institutions of higher learning
Senate members voting yes: Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster; Kevin
Coughlin, R-Cuyahoga Falls; Tim Grendell, R-Chester Township; Lance
Mason, D-Shaker Heights; Sue Morano, D-Lorain; Robert Spada, R-North
Royalton; Tom Sawyer, D-Akron
Senate
members voting no: Dale Miller, D-Cleveland, Shirley Smith, D-Cleveland
Not voting: None
Importuning:
Senate Bill 183, establishes mandatory minimum prison term for using the Internet or other communication devices to lure minors.
Senate members voting yes: Amstutz, Coughlin, Grendell, Mason, Morano, Smith, Spada, Sawyer
Senate
members voting no: Miller
Not voting: None
Have a question about state government and politics? Ask Plain Dealer Statehouse reporter Aaron Marshall by e-mailing him at
amarshall@plaind.com.
