Law to redirect utilities' methods

Youngstown's Rep. Bob Hagan is to introduce a bill this year.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Advocates for renewable energy see light at the end of the tunnel -- a light powered by wind and sun.
State and local governments, businesses and the public are now leading the drive toward renewable and alternative energy. Businesses exploring cleaner energy sources and lawmakers searching for ways to protect the environment and public health say they can create wider economic opportunities and a more diverse, sustainable and independent energy supply.
Efforts at the national level have been slower but are expected to be spurred by the recent report from top climate scientists saying global warming is 90 percent likely to have been caused by humans burning fossil fuels.
Among states, Ohio has lagged. It currently derives less than 1 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, but that is expected to change.
"Ohio has been a sleeping giant, but it's waking up," said William Spratley, executive director of the advocacy group Green Energy Ohio.
At least 23 states have adopted standards or goals setting deadlines for utilities to obtain percentages of their power supply from renewable sources such as wind, sun, water and animal waste. Similar legislation has been introduced in six states this year, and proposals are expected in five others, including Ohio.
Legislation
"Increasingly, states have been taking actions indicating just how broad the consensus is for energy diversity and sustainability," said Henry Henderson, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Midwest office.
Separate bills to be introduced this year by Ohio Democrats Michael Skindell, of Lakewood, D-13th, and Bob Hagan, of Youngstown, D-60th, would require utilities to get at least 20 percent of their power supply from renewable energy sources by 2020. Similar requirements are in a bill pending in Congress.
Past proposals have failed in the GOP-dominated Legislature, but Skindell said he is encouraged by a new political climate and increased public interest.
Republicans who decide what bills are heard say they can't yet predict what type of energy legislation will emerge this session, but they believe there will be encouragement for renewable sources.
"I think there will be legislation strengthening energy independence," said Republican state Rep. Jim McGregor, who heads the House's Alternative Energy Committee.
Why it's needed
Renewable energy won't replace sources such as oil and coal, but it is seen as a way to offset rising costs and limited supplies. A blackout in much of the Midwest and East in 2003, terrorism and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina have emphasized the vulnerability of traditional energy sources.
Honda of America Mfg. wants to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon dioxide and avoid relying solely on nonrenewable sources, said spokesman Jim Lietzke. The company is teaming up with Green Energy Ohio to study the potential of installing wind turbines for Honda's East Liberty plant.
Randy Zwirn, president and chief executive of Siemens Power Generation Inc., sees a growing U.S. demand for wind power generators. He said the wind industry has been helped by incentives such as tax credits and should be mature enough to stand on its own by 2010 or so.
His company, the Orlando, Fla.-based subsidiary of the German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG, recently built a factory in Fort Madison, Iowa, to make blades for wind turbines.
Local governments also are weighing in. Cincinnati is trying out solar panels and a wind turbine to generate electricity for its parks board administration building. A Cuyahoga County task force in Cleveland recently proposed a Lake Erie Wind Energy Center featuring up to 10 turbines and a research center.