{"id":5442,"date":"2013-11-21T17:15:14","date_gmt":"2013-11-21T17:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=5442"},"modified":"2013-12-02T21:33:07","modified_gmt":"2013-12-02T21:33:07","slug":"edf-steps-up-to-protect-ohios-clean-energy-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2013\/11\/21\/edf-steps-up-to-protect-ohios-clean-energy-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"EDF Steps Up to Protect Ohio\u2019s Clean Energy Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"John<\/a>Ohio\u2019s clean energy standards have helped jumpstart an industry<\/a> that is spurring economic development, creating jobs, boosting energy independence and cutting the state\u2019s carbon footprint. \u00a0Recently, these standards have come under attack and EDF\u2019s own Cheryl Roberto<\/a>, Associate Vice President of Smart Power, stepped up to defend them by testifying<\/a> before the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Commission on Senate Bill 58<\/a> (S.B. 58).\u00a0 As a former Ohio Public Utility Commissioner herself, Roberto made it clear that S.B. 58 would destroy Ohio\u2019s clean energy standards and unjustly enrich the state\u2019s electric utilities.<\/p>\n

Ohio adopted clean energy standards in 2008, and is one of 29 states with a renewable energy standard and one of 25 states with an energy efficiency standard.\u00a0 Based on these standards, Ohio will acquire 12.5%<\/a> of its power by renewable energy and will reduce its energy use by 22%<\/a> by 2025.\u00a0 The energy efficiency standard has allowed Ohio to reduce its energy use by over 3%, and the\u00a0renewable energy standard has already added 466 mw of wind energy in the state,<\/a> enough to power 466,000 homes.\u00a0 Ohio is now ranked fourth in the nation<\/a> for wind energy jobs, with over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs supported by the industry.<\/p>\n

\"Credit:<\/a>
Credit: Julia Collins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group of conservative state legislators, is leading a nationwide effort to repeal<\/a> state clean energy standards, including S.B. 58 in Ohio.\u00a0 ALEC has previously supported controversial \u201cstand your ground\u201d laws as well as laws classifying environmental civil disobedience as terrorism.\u00a0 To date, ALEC has failed to repeal clean energy standards in any state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

S.B. 58 would eliminate the requirement for electric utilities to buy one-half of their renewable power from new Ohio projects, instead allowing them to buy the power from existing Canadian hydro projects.\u00a0 The bill caps energy efficiency spending at 2013 levels and provides new definitions of energy efficiency unrelated to actual energy savings.\u00a0 The bill also gives utilities a handout by paying them exorbitant sums (over $220 million during the first three years alone) to adopt energy efficiency programs already required by law.<\/p>\n

EDF urged the Ohio legislature to eliminate the provisions of S.B. 58 that would dramatically weaken Ohio\u2019s clean energy standards and give electric utilities a windfall.\u00a0 Instead, we advocated for a pragmatic, market-based approach that would continue the evolution of Ohio\u2019s competitive retail electricity market, and recommended that Ohio\u2019s electric distribution utilities should:<\/p>\n