May 5

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland signed into law an energy reform bill that will ensure the state, which relies heavily on coal-generated electricity, boosts its use of renewable energy.

The bill addresses numerous issues, including electric rate regulation, energy efficiency, creating a renewable and advanced energy portfolio, modernizing Ohio´s electric infrastructure, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"We will safeguard Ohio families by empowering consumers and modernizing Ohio’s energy infrastructure," Strickland, a Democrat, said. "We will attract the jobs of the future through an advanced energy portfolio standard -- and today’s action by Ohio means that a majority of states now agree that these technologies represent the future of energy in the United States."

The bill requires that 25 percent of the energy sold in Ohio must come from advanced and renewable energy technologies, such as clean coal and wind turbines, by 2025.

E-mail Waste News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at bgeiselman@crain.com

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