Kasich defends pause in renewable targets

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich is defending signing a contentious bill pausing the state’s renewable energy standards for two years as a study committee reconsiders the mandates.

The Republican governor signed the legislation Friday without comment, leaving critics to plunder the move.

After an unrelated bill-signing Monday, Kasich told reporters that pausing phase-in of targets set in 2008 is a victory for Ohio’s economy. The old law said 25 percent of Ohio’s energy should come from alternative sources by 2025. The new law continues that goal in 2017 unless a better alternative is found.

Kasich says the 25-percent figure was “without any real science behind it” and was going to cause difficulty for consumers and businesses.

He says he supports renewables and would veto any full freeze of the standards.