The Future of Ohio鈥檚 Renewable Energy Depends on John Kasich鈥檚 Veto

Bird lovers and a bipartisan group of allies are hoping the governor will end the state鈥檚 freeze on clean energy standards.

Update: Gov. John Kasich vetoed HB 554 on Dec. 28. You can read 探花精选's statement on the news here

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In late November, a diverse group of Ohioans鈥攊ncluding dozens of business owners, academics, and 探花精选 volunteers鈥攑acked a committee hearing room in Columbus to ask legislators to vote 鈥渘o鈥 on a bill that would slow the growth of renewable energy in the state. 

That bill, now known as , is the latest in a string of legislative battles over the state鈥檚 renewable energy standards, which require power companies to get a minimum amount of energy from renewable sources like solar and wind. Passed in 2008, the original bipartisan legislation had nearly unanimous support and bound power companies to obtain 12.5 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2025. Today, 28 other states and the District of Columbia have similar renewable energy standards.

After Ohio鈥檚 renewable standards took effect, clean energy industries boomed. By 2013, the Buckeye State led the country in wind manufacturing facilities and came in second in solar manufacturing, according to the .

Despite the apparent success of the law, not everyone wanted to boost the state鈥檚 green energy economy. In 2014, the state legislature voted to freeze the standards through the end of 2016鈥攁 move supported by a few large energy companies and manufacturers. No other state with a renewable energy standard has attempted to stall such progress after the fact.

Now that it鈥檚 the end of 2016, some state legislators remain opposed to boosting renewables to fight climate change. And so they introduced the new bill, HB 554, to stall for an additional two years by making the renewable energy standards voluntary鈥攚hich essentially makes them toothless, says Marnie Urso, 探花精选鈥檚 senior program manager for Ohio.

But a group of surprising allies are fighting the new rule: conservative organizations, small business owners, and environmental groups, including 探花精选. At a panel discussion in September entitled 鈥淪hould Conservatives Embrace Clean Energy?鈥 that discussed the freeze, the panelists agreed that the answer is 鈥測es鈥濃攃onservative politics and clean energy go hand-in-hand. Panelist Mike Hartley, who directs the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum (a group that includes Republican associations and the Christian Coalition),  that Ohio鈥檚 renewable energy freeze is 鈥渢hwarting investment and development across the state."

On November 29, clean energy supporters ensured that the hearing on extending the freeze was standing-room only.  testified for nearly four hours against the bill. 鈥淲e need to embrace the technologies of the future instead of being the last ones to let go of the ways of the past,鈥 says Cheryl Harner, an environmental educator and former president of Greater Mohican 探花精选 Society, who attended the hearing. 鈥淲e know that a clean environment is not only good for the birds鈥攊t is good for the people as well.鈥 The , and upping the use of renewable energy is a key way to slow the effects of climate change.

But despite their best efforts, the state House and Senate passed the measure. Now, the bill sits on Governor John Kasich's desk, where he must decide by December 28 whether to veto it or allow it to become law. He has said repeatedly that he supports renewable energy and opposes any continuation of the freeze beyond 2016. 

Around 2,000 探花精选 supporters have  to the governor鈥攁nd thousands more people have sent messages through other groups鈥攁sking him to make good on these statements. Right now, that would mean using his veto power to ax HB 554. If he vetoes the bill, the legislature could reconvene later this month and try to muster the votes to override the veto, but they鈥檙e unlikely to succeed; the initial vote fell short of a veto-proof majority. Then, the renewable energy and efficiency standards would go back into effect on January 1, 2017. Power companies in the state would then have until 2027 to source a minimum of 12.5 percent renewable energy. 

On the other hand, if Kasich goes against his word and allows HB 554 to go into law, the renewable energy standards and benchmarks would be unenforceable until the year 2020. On Monday, he signed 17 bills but did not sign HB 554, raising hopes that he intends to veto.

As a conservationist, Urso says that we don鈥檛 have to choose between a healthy environment and a healthy economy because where birds thrive, people prosper. 鈥淩enewable energy is the biggest bang for the buck as far as reducing our carbon emissions,鈥 she says. 鈥淥hio鈥檚 been a leader on renewable energy and Governor Kasich has the opportunity to ensure that we keep moving forward, not shift into reverse.鈥