Ohio’s leaders consider clean energy

Poll shows 80 percent of Ohio supports clean energy

Energy policy became the top priority of Ohio’s leaders this fall, and Environment Ohio staff worked to ensure that requiring clean energy as part of Ohio’s energy future would be a significant part of the mix.

From July through October, Environment Ohio staff met with Gov. Ted Strickland as well as countless legislators to educate them about the benefits of clean energy.

In August, Environment Ohio released “Energizing Ohio’s Economy: Creating Jobs and Reducing Pollution with Wind Power.” The report revealed that a commitment to developing clean energy could result in an additional 3,100 permanent, full-time jobs.

Tim Burga, chief of staff for Ohio AFL-CIO stated, “We believe that an energy plan for Ohio should be an integrated policy, including a unique standard for renewable energy sources such as wind. This will be a catalyst for creating the much needed sustainable jobs in Ohio.”

In late August, Gov. Strickland announced his Energy, Jobs and Progress Plan for Ohio which included a requirement that 12.5 percent of electricity sold by Ohio utilities come from clean, renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar by 2025.

The governor’s plan was introduced in the Ohio Senate, and Environment Ohio’s Erin Bowser testified in support of the renewable energy requirement and called for important improvements to the bill. On Oct. 31, the Senate passed a slightly weakened version of the bill, which Environment Ohio will be working to improve in the House.

In a new poll released by Environment Ohio in October, 80 percent of Ohio voters said that they support setting a standard for renewable energy in Ohio that would require utilities to obtain twenty percent of our electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2025.

Read the complete findings of the poll here: (PDF)

Wind power could be a big boost to the economy in Ohio’s rural areas.