June 4, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ohio Businesses Call on Governor and Lt. Governor to embrace clean
energy policies: HB 6 Provisions Repealing Renewable and Energy
Efficiency Standards would be “huge step backward”
COLUMBUS, Ohio – More than 60 businesses and organizations have issued an open letter to Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today calling on them to support the state’s
future and ability to attract long-term investments, innovative companies, and ultimately thousands more jobs to our state by supporting the clean energy standards that would be repealed
by House Bill 6.
Dear Gov. DeWine and Lt. Gov. Husted,
Thank you for your leadership of our great state. We are thrilled to see that you are pursuing bold policies and transforming our state into a 21st century economy. Since taking office in January, you have already inspired confidence in Ohio’s business and investment climate. We write this open letter to you today to proactively urge your support for a key sector of Ohio’s economy that holds great promise for growth: clean energy. As companies and organizations with a keen interest in the state’s energy future, we support policies that will make our energy clean, affordable, reliable, and predictable over the long-term. This is a major consideration for where we do business. Unfortunately, the Ohio General Assembly appears to be rapidly advancing energy legislation (HB 6) that falls far short of these goals. While creating a fund to support Ohio’s two nuclear plants and granting cost recovery for old coal plants, the bill repeals Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) and Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (“EERS”). This would be a huge step backward. Eliminating these standards will create tremendous uncertainty for the Ohio renewables industry, which directly employs almost 10,000 Ohioans, and back-pedal on our ability to reduce energy waste through cost-effective energy savings programs that employ over 81,000 Ohioans and have saved Ohioans $5.1 billion to date. The bill also misses an opportunity to address Ohio’s restrictive wind power siting regulations which have stymied in-state development for years, and in fact makes the permitting process more challenging. Clean energy standards help businesses cut energy costs, avoid the volatility of fuel prices, and help us stay competitive. As of 2018, 39 companies in Ohio have committed to power their operations with 100 percent renewable energy(http://there100.org/companies) and almost half of Ohio’s 50 largest employers have set targets to procure more renewable energy or invest in energy efficiency. States with robust clean energy standards create policy certainty, attracting companies and enabling them to make long-term investments consistent with meeting sustainability and financial goals. We recognize the significant economic opportunity presented by renewable energy and energy efficiency. As such, we write collectively to urge you to protect Ohio’s growing clean energy economy and oppose the provisions of HB 6 which would eliminate Ohio’s clean energy standards and harm Ohio’s ability to bring more clean energy projects online.
Thank you for your consideration and your continued leadership of our State.
The letter was signed by the following 63 companies and organizations, demonstrating depth and
breadth of support for renewable energy and energy efficiency standards in state law:
Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. ElectraTherm Siemens Gamesa
Ameresco Energility, LLC Simple Energy
AP Alternatives Energy Management Solutions, Inc. Sol Systems
Apex Clean Energy Energy Optimizers, USA Solar Action LLC
Avangrid Renewables Enervee Solar Power & Light
AviSun Renewable Energy First Solar Solscient Energy
Baker- Shindler Company Friends Fiduciary Stoneacre Energy Solutions
Better Together Solar Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. Sun Lion Energy
Burton Innogy SunLit Solar
Carbon Solutions Group IntegralPower Talan Products, Inc.
Catalyst Café Invenergy, LLC TEfusion Group
Central Insurance Companies Ironclad Energy Third Sun Solar
Cleveland Clinic LaFargeHolcim TMI Energy Solutions
Clif Bar & Company Melink Corporation Trillium Asset Management
Community Energy Inc. Miller Brothers Construction Unitarian Universalist Association
CS Energy Ohio Power Solutions Village Bakery
Cypress Creek Renewables Open Road Renewables Vistula Management Company
DG Edison Ormat Technologies Yellowlite
E.ON Profit & Sons Farms, Inc.
Echogen Power Systems RBI Solar
Ecohouse Solar Roanna Farms, Inc.
EDF Renewables Rudolph Libbe Group
EDP Renewables North America
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Media contact: Angela Krile, 740-974-3948, [email protected]
