Clean Energy Coming to Ohio Ohio 26Th State to Pass Clean Energy Standard

Summer Report Big win: More clean energy coming to Ohio Ohio 26th state to pass clean energy standard On May 1, Gov. Ted Strickland signed SB 221, making Ohio the 26th state to enact a renewable energy standard. Environ- mental groups, wind and solar businesses, labor organizations, manufacturers and many others applauded the work of Gov. Strickland and Ohio’s legislative leaders, most notably Speaker Jon Husted, for making this investment in Ohio’s future. The bill will ensure that 12.5 percent of Ohio’s energy will come from clean, renewable sources by 2025, and reduce overall energy consumption by 22 percent. “Ohio is now on the map for clean energy Environment Ohio staff members thank Gov. Strickland for his leadership on clean energy. development that will reduce pollution, eliminate the need for expensive new coal-fi red power plants, and take advan- in clean energy because of its extensive economic development. tage of a booming new green economy manufacturing base and skilled workforce. that will create jobs,” stated Erin Bowser, “As a developer of wind energy projects in Director of Environment Ohio. Environment Ohio and a coalition of many states across the country, we know partners, including business leaders, how important it is for a state to have a More than half of the states in the U.S. clean energy developers and many others, renewable energy standard in place that now have renewable energy standards. worked to ensure that an effective policy actually establishes a market for clean en- Other Midwestern states, including Illinois, was put into place that would allow Ohio ergy from day one,” stated Beth O’Brien, Wisconsin and Minnesota, have also put to receive all of the benefi ts of clean representative of Babcock & Brown, a renewable energy standards into place and energy, including reduced pollution and major investor in clean energy. Michigan is currently considering one. “Clearly this is a case of individual states more online leading the way in the face of failed attempts by Congress to pass a national re- Environment Ohio’s Amy Gomberg newable energy standard,” stated Bowser. (center) looks at solar panels as part of a clean energy tour. Ohio will reap both environmental and economic benefi ts from generating more Links to additional content are posted at: clean energy. This is due to the fact that www.EnvironmentOhio.org/newsletters/ Ohio is better positioned than most states summer08, including more information to reap the economic rewards of investing about our big clean energy win. VOLUME 2 | NO. 2 Summer Report | 2008 To our members Recent action Although cleaner energy policies are be- Will Congress overturn Bush administration policy? ing enacted here in Ohio, there remains As the U.S. House and Senate prepared this spring for hearings on legislation to a lot of work to be done at both the state strengthen clean water protections for smaller streams and wetlands, Environ- and federal level to protect our environment Ohio enlisted Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Timothy Ryan and ment. For eight years, our president has Betty Sutton as co-sponsors of the Clean Water Restoration Act. pushed the country in the wrong direc- tion on global warming, energy policy, Over the past fi ve years, the Bush administration’s “No Protection” policy and clean air, clean water, mercury, our decisions in favor of polluters made by the U.S. Supreme Court have chipped right to know about toxic chemicals, away at protections for smaller streams and wetlands by narrowly defi ning the endangered species and more. Clean Water Act. The Bush administration’s policy has put 59 percent of the stream miles in the continental United States at risk of increased pollution. It will, for sure, take years for the next More than 110 million Americans rely on drinking water from public waters fed president to repair the damage. Yet, in some ways, the next president also has a by these streams. The Clean Water Restoration Act would restore strong Clean strong foundation upon which to build a Water Act protections to these streams and wetlands across the country. powerful environmental legacy, thanks to the victories we’ve helped win in many states. In the next few months, we’ll con- EPA comes up short on new smog standards tinue to fi ght back against the Bush ad- Environment Ohio pressed for stronger smog standards that would force more ministration’s anti-environmental moves. polluters to clean up. On Jan. 3, Margie Alt, executive director of our national We’ll also continue to fight for more federation, Environment America, joined several of our allies in urging Envi- progress on clean energy, global warming ronmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson to strengthen and more at the state level—progress we the nation’s smog standards. can build on in an even bigger way once Jan. 20 rolls around. But Johnson announced in March that the agency would adopt a new smog rule that is less protective of public health than the one recommended by Thanks for your support. EPA’s own scientifi c advisers. In addition, under the guise of “modernizing” the Clean Air Act, Johnson called for fundamental changes to the act, including Sincerely, requiring implementation costs to be considered in setting air quality standards and allowing states and local areas to ignore air pollution problems. Half of all Americans live in places where air pollution threatens public health. The EPA’s Erin Bowser smog standards force polluters that exceed air pollution limits to clean up, but State Director several studies show that smog standards are too low to protect public health. We’re pushing for stronger protections for rivers, lakes and streams. Environment Ohio www.EnvironmentOhio.org/newsletters Doing Ohio’s part to stop global warming As the nation’s fourth leading emitter of Acting regionally Boosting renewables carbon dioxide, the primary global warm- While Congress continues to debate ways ing pollutant, Ohio has a special duty to to curb global warming pollution, many will boost economy do our part to help stop global warming. individual states and regions are moving ahead and taking action now. Last No- Last year Congress made great Scientists agree that in order to avoid vember, six Midwestern Governors signed progress towards a new energy the worst effects of global warming we onto a regional cap and trade program future by passing an Environment need to reduce pollution by 15 to 20 called the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Ohio-backed increase in gas mileage percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Accord” to reduce global warming emis- standards—the fi rst such increase In order to meet these targets, we need sions across the region. in 30 years. But much remains to Ohio’s leaders to set a cap on the amount be done to achieve the new energy of pollution that we are emitting today, Gov. Ted Strickland decided to sign on future that our country needs. and require strong emission reductions to the agreement as an observer, not a over time. full participant. Unfortunately, power plant owners and coal interests, aided by the That’s why Environment Ohio is calling “Ohio can’t afford to sit back and watch Republican leadership in the Senate on our leaders to do more to curb our the consequences of global warm- and the White House, blocked carbon footprint and get Ohio on the ing happen all around us; we need to attempts to pass a renewable right track. And Environment Ohio take action, now,” said Environment electricity standard as part of is in an excellent position to do just Ohio’s Amy Gomberg. “That’s why a package of clean energy tax that. Last winter, Environment Ohio’s Environment Ohio is calling on Gov. incentives in the energy bill passed Amy Gomberg was appointed to the Strickland to become a full participant last year. Midwestern Advisory Board for action in the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas on global warming. Reduction Accord.” The next avenue for action is to convince Congress to extend existing Scientists predict that, unless we act Over the summer, we’ll be talking to renewable energy tax incentives, now to stop global warming, there thousands of Ohioans across the state which expire at the end of 2008. The will be signifi cant changes in Ohio’s to build support for Gov. Strickland’s American Wind Energy Association climate. Our research has shown that participation in this regional effort, so predicts that failing to extend the tax recent average temperatures in Colum- that Ohio can begin to do its part to curb credits could cost the U.S. economy bus are already two degrees above the global warming pollution. 75,000 jobs and a wealth of 30-year average. investment opportunities. This spring’s torrential downpours under- “As one of the fastest-growing score the fi ndings of a report we released industries in the United States, the last December. The report, “When it clean energy industry is a shining light Rains, It Pours: Global Warming and the in an otherwise lackluster economy. If Rising Frequency of Extreme Precipita- Congress does not act, many promising tion in the United States,” examines renewable energy projects will screech trends in the frequency of large rain to a halt,” said Environment Ohio and snow events across the continental Director Erin Bowser. United States from 1948 to 2006. Find- ings in the report show that in Ohio, storms with heavy rainfall are 43 percent more common today than they were 60 years ago. More online Read our report, “When It Rains Warmer temperatures will also mean Get a more detailed list of It Pours,” and tell Gov.

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