skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Dozens of CA events this weekend honor Latino Conservation Week; Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event; Report finds poor working conditions in Texas clean energy industry; AI puts on a lab coat, heads to technical schools.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Five Years Later: Clean Energy “Under Attack” in Ohio?

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 1, 2013   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - As the Ohio General Assembly reviews the state's five-year-old energy efficiency standard, there are concerns that clean energy could be under attack.

Since the state standard was enacted, more than 1,000 renewable-energy projects have been built in Ohio, including the Blue Creek Wind Power Project in Van Wert. Paul Copleman, a spokesman for Iberdrola Renewables, which operates the project, said the company chose to do business in Ohio for the legislative and regulatory support it received. It's had a significant economic impact statewide, he said.

"This is a project that put over 30 Ohio companies to work, that spent $25 million locally during construction," Copleman said. "It represented roughly a $600 million investment in the state of Ohio."

The standard requires utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewables and to reduce energy consumption. FirstEnergy Corp. is among those advocating changes to the efficiency rules, claiming they are costly and unnecessary.

Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, chairman of the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee, called for a review of both the energy-efficiency and renewable-energy standards, saying the hearings are simply a prudent five-year review of a 20-year plan.

"It would be the height of folly to do nothing and then find out that your failure to modify the plan over 20 years has resulted in tremendous market distortions or benchmarks that proved to be technologically unattainable," he said. "You don't do that."

Groups such as the Sierra Club are concerned the review will end up weakening the standards, which they say have made the state more competitive, created jobs and saved consumers money.

Doug Bell, who works in Ohio's home weatherization industry, said energy efficiency is cheaper than any source of electricity.

"Electricity is going from 7 to 10 cents a kilowatt hour," he said. "Energy efficiency, the expenditure to reduce it by a kilowatt hour, is about 3 cents. So, for every penny that the state puts into energy efficiency, Ohio gets three pennies back."

To date, Ohio utilities' energy-efficiency programs have saved customers an estimated $1 billion.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday marks the International Day of Peace and the advocacy group Nonviolent Peaceforce is kicking off a series of family-friendly events in M…

Environment

play sound

Latino Conservation Week is in full swing, with 330 events across the U.S. and 90 in California alone. The 11th annual event runs through Sunday…


Nebraska is one of 10 states to confirmed abortion-related constitutional amendment measures on the ballot in November. (Alcorn Imagery/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Some ballot initiatives this year have taken more than voter signatures to get onto the ballot in Nebraska. They've already withstood major court …

Social Issues

play sound

A new federal proposal to protect workers from extreme heat is being hailed as a potential lifesaver by labor advocates, even as Florida faces …

A clean energy industry advocacy report found nonunion workers are often paid less, incur more job-related injuries and receive fewer benefits than unionized employees. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new study showed as Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind turbine and solar energy installations, clean energy workers often face …

play sound

Students enrolled at Wisconsin's technical colleges this fall might take a course where artificial intelligence is the star of the classroom…

Social Issues

play sound

Early voting begins today in Minnesota and the state has implemented policy moves with the intent of making voting easier. Nonpartisan civic …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021