The leader of the Ohio Senate said he expects his chamber to once again take a look at the requirements for utilities to provide renewable energy while seeking efficiencies. But advanced energy advocates say that continues to put Ohio behind other states.
Advanced Energy Economy’s Ray Fakhoury said the market is trending toward the use of renewable and alternative energy sources, and states with policies that back those sources are seeing more economic development.
Fakhoury said Ohio is in danger of missing out because policymakers keep revisiting the state’s green energy standards, creating uncertainty.
“It’s the ‘to be determined’ criteria right now. If we had some favorable, comprehensive energy policy coming out of the administration then I think we’d be able to go a lot further," he said.
For years, Republican state lawmakers have tried repealing or rolling back what they call renewable energy mandates. Republican Senate President Larry Obhof of Medina says he expects the issue to come up once again this year.
