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Advocates say budget provisions distort energy bill
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Jul 01, 2009
Ohio's solar and wind supporters and companies intend to ask Gov. Ted Strickland to veto provisions of the state budget bill that would permit trash burning and tire burning to be called ''renewable energy.''
That request will be filed with Strickland, if the legislature approves such broad definitions of renewable energy, said Terrence O'Donnell of Ohio Advanced Energy, a Columbus-based trade association of Ohio wind-solar interests.
The problem is that wind-solar firms have been interested in developing projects in Ohio, but now the state is sending out ''mixed signals,'' he said.
Last year, state lawmakers passed an energy bill that requires 12.5 percent of electricity sold in the state to come from renewable sources by 2025 and another 12.5 percent to come from so-called ''advanced'' energy sources, such as clean coal and nuclear power.
But what Ohio considers renewable energy appears to be changing in the budget bill, and that's troubling, O'Donnell said.
Burning wastes from paper mills and coal methane gas, along with tires and trash, should not be considered in the same light as wind and solar projects, he said.
Ohio appears set on adopting a broader definition of renewable energy, and that would make the state less attractive to wind and solar interests, O'Donnell said during a teleconference Tuesday presented by Environment Ohio. Such changes would be ''inappropriate,'' he said.
It appears that Ohio is backsliding on its commitment to renewable energy, he said.
Wind and solar companies ''are at risk if the legislature continues to chip away at Ohio's renewable energy law,'' he said.
Environment Ohio said it hopes the joint House-Senate committee ''will remove the dirty-energy amendments and focus on the clean-energy opportunities that will create jobs and reduce pollution,'' said spokeswoman Jennifer Herron.
Ohioans will pay more in the future if fossil fuels, like gasoline and coal, remain the major sources of energy, Environment Ohio said in a new report.
In 2006, Ohioans spent $2,898 per capita on fossil fuels. That figure is expected to climb to between $3,522 and $4,576 per person by 2030.
Ohio needs to do more to develop clean energy from the wind and sun and to promote energy efficiency, Herron's group said.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Ohio's solar and wind supporters and companies intend to ask Gov. Ted Strickland to veto provisions of the state budget bill that would permit trash burning and tire burning to be called ''renewable energy.''
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 08:41 AM, 07/01/2009
Wind and solar energy alone will not sustain this country. When will they learn. We need a combination of all energy sources.
Posted 12:29 PM, 07/01/2009
burning tires and trash , like that will help the air??..??
Posted 11:05 PM, 07/01/2009
Someday people will wise up and realize nuclear power is the only solution to meet our growing power demands and provide zero CO2 emissions. I use to very anti-nuclear power but it is the only practical solution.
