Bill Would Require Ohio to Develop Renewable Energy

Measure Would Mandate That 22% of Electricity Come From Sources Other Than Coal-Burning Plants.

Jul 26 - Dayton Daily News

- Ohio may soon join 27 other states that mandate that a certain percentage of their power comes from renewable sources such as wind turbines or solar panels.

Ohio House Alternative Energy Committee Chairman Jim McGregor, R- Gahanna, said he will to introduce a comprehensive bill in September and hopes to have it adopted by year end. A cornerstone will be a mandate that 22 percent of the electricity used in Ohio come from renewable sources by 2020, he said. Currently, nearly 90 percent of Ohio's power comes from coal-burning plants, which emit carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

The bill will also call for: oil and gas drilling on developed state lands, conservation programs, high-tech traffic intersection controls to improve flow, and conversion of 30,000 acres of highway land from mowed grass to other plants such as switch grass and cottonwood. McGregor said it will also call for measures that will make it more attractive for manufacturers to generate their own electricity or surplus power.

The mandate for renewable energy is supported by environmental and consumer groups.

Despite the upfront costs, mandating renewable power could reduce consumer costs in the long run, said Ohio Consumers' Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander, who represents consumers in utility issues.

It also could create jobs in manufacturing parts and equipment for wind turbines, according to McGregor, Environment Ohio, the Ohio Environmental Council and others. Four turbines in Wood County currently generate 7.2 megawatts of electricity -- a tiny amount compared with the 30,000 megawatt total load in Ohio. One megawatt is enough to power 300 homes.

Other states are further ahead. Texas has 2,631 megawatts of wind capacity installed, California has 2,323 and Iowa has 837.

But Lake Erie -- a shallow lake with great wind density -- puts Ohio in a unique position, McGregor said. Three-thousand wind turbines could be placed about five miles offshore in Lake Erie to generate enough power to light the state, he said.

Contact this reporter at (614) 224-1624 or lbischoff@DaytonDailyNews.com.