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NEW YORK  – Today, Ohio Governor John Kasich’s  that would have extended the freeze on the state’s clean energy standards sends a clear signal to the state legislature and the nation that Ohio is ready to diversify its energy market, create new jobs and reduce harmful emissions.

“Conservative politics and profitable clean energy go hand-in-hand. Governor Kasich gets it and Ohioans owe him a big thanks,” says ̽����ѡ President and CEO David Yarnold ().

, public health advocates, clean energy companies and conservation groups in opposing the bill that threatened the state’s economy and health of its families, birds and wildlife. Kasich’s veto of Am. Sub. House Bill 554 will reinstate the energy efficiency standards passed in a bipartisan vote in 2008, spurring business investment in clean energy and making Ohio a healthier place to live and work.

“̽����ѡ has long supported the reinstatement of Ohio’s clean energy standards,” said Marnie Urso, ̽����ѡ’s Senior Program Manager in Ohio. “Energy efficiency and renewable energy are vital components to protecting Ohio’s birds, wildlife and people from the threats of pollution and climate change. Ohio has been a leader on renewable energy and Governor Kasich has ensured that Ohio will keep moving forward.”

In 2014, ̽����ѡ scientists found that climate change is the biggest threat to North American birds in this century threatening 314 species, including the brilliant Scarlet Tanager that is projected to lose 94 percent of its summer range in Ohio. For more information about how ̽����ѡ protects birds and the places they need, visit www.audubon.org/climate.

The ̽����ѡ protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. ̽����ѡ's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, ̽����ѡ's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. ̽����ѡ is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at  and .

Contact: Marnie Urso, murso@audubon.org, 216-246-7150