Ohio freezes renewables goal for 2 years

Jun 16, 2014 - Ohio governor John Kasich on Friday signed into law a bill that puts a two-year freeze on the state’s renewable energy and efficiency standards.

Under a law from 2008, 12.5% of the energy produced by state utilities was required to come from renewables and just as much had to be generated from advanced sources by 2025. The annual targets up to then are growing every year. For 2014, the renewables goal was set at 2.5%

Senate Bill 310, created by the Republican party, cancels the renewables goals for 2015 and 2016, which were set at 3.4% and 4.5% respectively, and keeps it at 2.5%. Targets will be automatically restored in 2017.

The rule that at least 50% of the renewable energy must come from Ohio has also been removed. The bill also called for the establishment of a legislative study committee to further evaluate the renewable energy standard during the freeze period.

The new legislation faced opposition among firms, faith and civil-rights leaders as well as environmentalists. According to a statement by the American Wind Power Association (AWEA) from Sunday, the freeze on renewables might “encourage developers and manufacturers to move to neighboring states with similar resources and friendlier business climates.” Meanwhile, there are hopes that Kasich will use his line-item veto on Monday to a bill that aims to prohibit wind farm construction within 1,300 feet (396 metres) from property lines. The plan might put in danger about USD 2.5 billion (EUR 1.8bn) of wind projects under development in Ohio, AWEA said previously.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.738)

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