Locals testify for renewable energy

Van Wert independent

COLUMBUS — Two local representatives had the chance Wednesday to testify on behalf of maintaining current in-state renewable energy requirements.

Sarah Smith, Van Wert County business outreach coordinator, and Vantage Career Center Adult Education Director Pete Prichard both testified on behalf of maintaining the current requirements included in Senate Bill 221.

Senate Bill 58, recently introduced in the Ohio General Assembly by State Senator Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), would remove SB 221’s requirement that 50 percent of Ohio’s renewable resources, used to achieve the federal requirement of 12.5 percent of total energy usage from renewable sources by 2025, come from in-state production.

Smith, a former U.S. Air Force officer who is also involved in  her family’s farming operation,  Roanna Farms in the Convoy area, as well as being county business outreach coordinator, noted that eliminating the requirement would likely mean that large renewable energy projects would go to neighboring states, such as Michigan and Indiana, instead of locating in Ohio.

She also noted that Michigan requires that 100 percent of its renewable energy come from in-state sources, and that both that state Indiana already have twice the energy produced by renewable sources as Ohio, with that figure to expand to three times by the end of 2013.

“If we remove the requirement for our renewables to be in-state and they locate elsewhere, because they will, we take a huge resource away from our farmers,” said Smith, noting that wind turbine rental fees have become an additional source of revenue to the local farming community. The local wind farms also  provide more than $2 million in tax revenues to county government entities, including local school districts.

Prichard also spoke of the advantages seen from local renewable energy projects and urged senators to maintain the in-state renewable energy requirement.