On December 27, Governor Kasich vetoed Ohio's Substitute House Bill 554. The bill would have further weakened the state’s energy standards by turning the requirement for utilities to purchase renewable energy and invest in energy efficiency into voluntary goals, with no compliance obligations, through 2019. With Governor Kasich’s veto, the standards frozen two years ago are set to be reinstated on January 1, 2017.
AEE released a statement, which you can read in full here. In its coverage of the story, Greentech Media noted AEE's economic analysis in Ohio and quoted Ted Ford. From the article:
A separate analysis conducted by the Advanced Energy Economy Institute found that meeting Ohio’s energy needs with a combination of renewable energy, energy efficiency and natural gas would save the state $3.3 billion by 2027.
Ted Ford, president of the state-level business association Ohio Advanced Energy Economy, said that Michigan has attracted over $1.1 billion in renewable energy investments over the past three years, while Ohio has been idling. “With this veto, Ohio can begin to move forward with sensible energy policy next year -- one that can bring back advanced energy jobs and investment,” he said.
Read the full article here.