COLUMBUS, Ohio—At its core, the new energy bill rolls back renewable energy standards and cuts energy efficiency standards, while giving a big financial boost to the state’s nuclear and coal industry.
- HB 6 was one of the most lobbied and expensive bills to pass
- There’s deep opposition and support on both sides of the aisle
- Some fear rolling back investments in renewables won’t keep Ohio competitive
Norman Robins, a concerned citizen who opposed the bill, is alarmed by those priorities.
“it’s like we put up a big sign at every entryway into Ohio, and that sign says if you like energy efficiency, or clean renewable energy, go away,” said Robins.
Ohio Coal Association President Mike Cope is also concerned, but for different reasons.
He says that by prioritizing one type of energy, we’re interfering with the equilibrium— a fragile market.
“Say that you’re completely dependent on natural gas, then you’re completely at the marketplace. I mean, gas is very cheap right now, and plentiful,” said Cope. “But over its history, it has fluctuated quite a bit, and that could very well happen if there’s no coal to turn back to.”
He says his organization is also disappointed lawmakers rolled back their renewable portfolio standards instead of eliminating them altogether.
“We have, for the last three General Assemblies, been trying to convince the state that they don’t need to have mandatory requirements for RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard),” said Cope. “They did take out the efficiencies, which we had no position on. That didn’t bother us a bit.”
By rolling back those renewable portfolio standards, which means stepping back from investing in renewables like wind and solar, Robins fears we’re hitting the brakes on forms of energy that will keep Ohio competitive.
“The whole renewable energy portfolio part of it is definitely something our group wants to see restored to what it had been,” said Robins.
There’s already talk of a referendum to let voters decide whether or not they want their dollars spent bailing out a private company.
