Wind power, old and new, west of Bowling Green. A new bill would freeze at current levels the amount of wind energy Ohio utilities must use. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
COLUMBUS — “In a victory for clean energy advocates, Gov. John Kasich Tuesday again broke with fellow Ohio Republicans, vetoing their attempt to put a halt to the state’s requirements that utility companies get more and more energy from renewable sources.
Kasich had already vetoed Republican lawmakers’ attempt to limit abortions in Ohio to the first six weeks of gestation, a measure he said would be struck down by federal courts.
The veto set off a barrage of press releases. Environmental groups cheered the news. But others – including statehouse Republicans who had passed the bill – weren’t so happy.
State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Green Township Republican, said the veto ‘disrespects’ the legislative process, adding: ‘It is apparent that Governor Kasich cares more about appeasing his coastal elite friends in the renewable energy business than he does about the millions of Ohioans who decisively rejected this ideology when they voted for President-elect (Donald) Trump. We can only hope that President Trump and his amazing cabinet of free market capitalists will save us from the regulatory overreach of Al Gore-style policies that take unnecessary money out of ratepayers’ pockets.’
But the Environmental Defense Fund said the veto will allow Ohio to become a leader in the clean energy economy, ‘clearing the way for well-paying jobs, millions in investment, and healthier air for all.'”
— Carrie Blackmore Smith, Cincinnati Enquirer
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