Two years ago this April, Ohio enforced a freeze on clean energy standards and also put into place a setback law that blocked all wind energy coming into the state. Legislation hasn't been in renewable energy's favor, nor in Ohio's favor, especially since a few more anti-renewable laws were passed this year.  Shall we look at the benefits of renewable energy for Ohio once more? In addition to saving Ohio consumers millions, the renewable industry has a great job base in Ohio, providing 100,000 jobs (article here). By unfreezing the clean energy standards, Ohio can send a message to pro-renewable companies, such as Google and Facebook, that the state is going to address the Clean Power Plan and draw in more businesses.   Click through to read more Continue reading

New data released on Tuesday from the Ohio Advanced Energy Economy found that more than 100,000 Ohioans are a part of the fast-growing clean energy economy.  The analysis was done across 11 Midwestern states and found that 569,000 people are part of the clean energy economy. In Ohio, 100,782 people are working for businesses that are manufacturing, selling, installing, or servicing renewable energy or energy efficiency products.  Ian Adams, spokesman for the Clean Energy Trust, said, "We see a transition from traditional economies to the clean energy economy, particularly around building efficiency, energy efficiency and construction." Adams went onto to explain the transition to clean energy: "You see businesses that start off working in a traditional sector and begin doing more business in the clean energy sector. You see more penetration into the clean energy sector, which means there is a greater adoption of these high-efficiency products." Click through to read more Continue reading

NextGen Climate has released a new poll that shows Ohio voters are in full support of powering our county with more than 50% clean energy by 2030. Of the 83% who favored the policy, 75% were Republican. And 42% of respondents are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports #50by30, while only 14% are less likely.  NextGen Climate Ohio State Director Joanne Pickrell said this of the polling data: "Ohio voters want our next president to be a champion for clean energy and they're ready to make their voices heard at the ballot box." Pickrell explained the benefits that #50by30 will bring: "For Ohioans, powering our country with more than 50% clean energy by 2030 will create up to 56,000 jobs—including thousands of jobs in the construction sector—while growing the state's economy by up to $9.5 billion." Click through to read more Continue reading

That's right, $128 billion! Not to mention an average of $13 billion per year for the past five years alone. The American Wind Energy Assocation (AWEA) released the data last week. Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA, said, "Over this time, wind has rapidly scaled up. There's now enough wind power installed to reliably produce electricity for over 19 million American homes." There were more records broken last year by wind energy, including capacity installed. Click through to read more Continue reading

Midwest Energy News examines lawmaker's commentary regarding wind energy development in Ohio. You can find the article here.

On Tuesday, Governor John Kasich was at a campaign town hall in Goffstown, New Hampshire, when he was asked, "As governor, what did you do to bring clean energy jobs to Ohio, and what will you do as president to bring them to America?"  Governor Kasich replied with, "First of all, I think there's another place we ought to locate these wind turbines. I've been thinking about this plan and want to know if we could get a vote for this, I think we should locate wind turbines outside of every single state house in America." The crowd responded with applause and laughter.  Click through to read more. Continue reading

In his State of the Union address last Wednesday, President Obama asked, "Why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?" Good question—why would we? David Carpenter of Delaware reflects on this in his recent letter to the editor of the Ohio paper the Columbus Dispatch. He refers to the recent climate talks in Paris and the extension of the federal tax credits for solar and wind and how they will lead to a new, renewable energy economy in which America is a front-runner.    Click through to read more. Continue reading

Doesn’t it make sense to embrace the renewable energy you have instead of hinder it? That’s exactly what Henry Henderson, Director of the Midwest Program NRDC, addressed in a recent blog post. “Despite being a national leader in creating wind-related manufacturing products like turbines and blades, Ohio created a law that essentially makes putting these products to use on a commercial scale unfeasible in the state,” Henderson wrote. Click through to read more Continue reading

A Natural Resources Defense Council issue brief on the importance of renewable energy policies for Ohioans. Continue reading

According to a survey conducted by the Sierra Club, two-thirds of Ohio voters are in favor of a plan that would cut overall carbon dioxide emissions. The survey covered voters in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Virginia and Maine.  "This data clearly show[s] that majorities in these states support the EPA's Clean Power Plan," said Grace McRae, the Sierra Club's polling and research director. Click through to keep reading. Continue reading