Ex-Gov. Strickland frustrated to see Ohio dumping renewable energy goals

[TexasTowelie]

COLUMBUS — On May 1, 2008, then-Gov. Ted Strickland signed into law a measure designed to push coal-dependent Ohio toward solar, wind, and other renewable sources of electricity.

The bill passed with a single negative vote at a time when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate and a Democrat sat in the governor’s office.

“We tried to have a comprehensive bill to position Ohio to be a major producer of energy, especially renewable energy,” Mr. Strickland told The Blade. “At the time we passed our standards, we had one of the strongest in the country for a state like ours.”

Republicans at the time insisted on going even further. For them, it wasn’t enough to simply say utilities had to acquire 12.5 percent of the power they sell from renewable sources by 2025. The utilities would have to meet specific benchmarks each year to demonstrate their progress.

Read more: https://www.toledoblade.com/local/environment/2019/06/09/former-governor-ted-strickland-frustrated-to-see-ohio-dumping-renewable-energy-goals/stories/20190606150