Budget Authorizes New Solar
Energy Financing, Keeps Renewable Energy Clean
Columbus, Ohio – At
4 p.m., Gov. Ted Strickland is scheduled to sign Ohio’s new biennium budget into law. Various versions of the budget threatened the
growth of Ohio’s renewable energy industry,
however, the final budget removed all of the dirty energy language, and keeps Ohio on track towards a
clean energy future.
“We applaud Ohio’s legislators for their vote for renewable
energy and clean energy jobs,” said Amy Gomberg the Program Director with
Environment Ohio. “We hope the legislature will continue to oppose any
attempts to pollute Ohio’s renewable energy policy, and continue to enact
proactive clean energy policies, like the new solar financing option included
in the budget.”
The new solar energy financing program will allow homeowners
in participating municipalities to finance solar energy panels through their
property taxes. This will enable homeowners to purchase panels without paying
the upfront cost of the panel. The City of Athens spearheaded the effort to enable this
financing model through state law.
“I believe
that the passage of this legislation is not only a major accomplishment for the
city of Athens and its supporters in the legislature but also a major step
forward in the advancement of clean renewable energy state-wide,” stated City
Council Aide Gary Houser. “We hope that our project will inspire other cities
across Ohio
to follow our lead. I look forward to this chance for the city to engage in a
leadership role for an issue that is of world-wide importance.”
“The inclusion of the financing
program for solar energy will allow more people to enjoy the benefits of clean,
renewable resources that would have otherwise been financially out of reach,”
Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said. “The opportunity to make
solar energy more readily available will help Ohioans create more reliable
electricity for themselves and save money in the long run.”
Renewable energy companies are pleased with the new solar
financing opportunity. Geoff Greenfield, president of Third Sun Solar and Wind,
an Ohio solar and wind energy installation
company, attended the bill signing with the governor in Dayton.
We expect that cities across the state will take advantage
of this new solar panel financing program,” Greenfield said. “This is a real
job creator. As cities adopt this type of solar program, my company along with
many others will be hiring more people to design and install these solar
panels.”
In addition to the proactive solar energy financing model, the
final budget bill removed a variety of bad amendments that would have hindered
renewable energy development in Ohio. The Senate version of the budget would have
allowed polluting energy resources such as burning trash, tires, black liquor
and coal methane to qualify as renewable energy in Ohio.
But, a coalition of Ohio’s renewable
energy businesses, consumer and environmental advocates spoke up in opposition
to the proposed changes to Ohio’s
law, and the conference committee decided to keep the renewable energy law
clean.
“We thank the governor and Ohio’s
legislative leaders for rejecting efforts to pollute Ohio’s renewable energy law with
technologies that are not actually renewable,” said Terrence O’Donnell, who
represents a renewable energy business trade association called Ohio Advanced
Energy. “This sends the right signal to the renewable energy industry; that Ohio is open for
business.”
“Predictability and stability are critical for a state when
establishing a renewable energy market, and constant changes and tinkering with
a standard can undermine that stability, so it is a very positive step forward
that Ohio has
declined to make changes to the standard in the budget bill,” said Hans
Detweiler of the American Wind Energy Association. “The wind industry
greatly appreciates Gov. Strickland’s leadership in keeping the renewable
energy standard clean.”
Migden-Ostrander added, “The
removal of non-renewable energy sources that would have counted as renewable
energy was an important move. The development of real renewable energy would
have taken a major hit.”
Ohio’s
proactive work for renewable energy coincides with action on the federal level.
Earlier this month The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean
Energy and Security Act, historic legislation that creates a framework for
moving to a clean energy economy and curbing global warming pollution.
“This important federal legislation will move the country a
step closer towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. We applaud Reps.
Kilroy, Space, Driehaus, Sutton, Kaptur, Boccieri, Fudge and Ryan for
supporting the bill,” Gomberg said. “Now is the time for bold and meaningful
action on clean energy and global warming. The Senate must strengthen and pass
this critical bill, and we urge Sens. Brown and Voinovich to move quickly to
enact strong solutions for a clean energy economy.”
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Environment Ohio is a state-based, citizen-funded
environmental organization working for clean air, clean water, and open space.
