Ohio Gov. John Kasich is going to spend a lot of time talking about his work to improve Ohio's economy, but one thing he won't be touting is his achievement last year of halting a
highly successful and
popular renewable energy program. Samantha Page has
the details:
Ohio’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) had created 25,000 jobs and spurred at least $1 billion in private sector investment.
Kasich disagreed that the RPS had economic benefits. “The well-intentioned strategy developed in 2008 to encourage alternative energy generation mandated levels which are now emerging as a challenge to job creation and Ohio’s economic recovery. They are simply unrealistic and will drive up energy costs for job creators and consumers,” Kasich said in a statement at the time.
In fact, the program didn't increase energy costs and the only jobs created by cessation of the program went out of state, according to
a report by the American Council on Renewable Energy.
The renewable energy and energy efficiency standards in Ohio cut electricity rates by 1.4% from 2008-2012, resulting in cumulative savings of over $230 million. The energy efficiency program alone has saved Ohio residents more than $1 billion since it was implemented. Yet at the same time, Ohio annually sends over $1 billion out-of-state to import coal.
To recap -- legislators in Ohio’s state Senate voted to send jobs out-of-state, raise electricity prices, and do something that nearly 3/4ths of registered voters disagree with.
Kasich took over as governor in 2011. But it's
unclear how much praise he deserves for helping to boost Ohio's economy, which still
lags behind much of the U.S.
In 2012, Ohio's job growth started to taper off. In the past year, the state's overall employment has grown less than 1 percent, ranking it 45th in the country, according to an analysis maintained by Arizona State University.
Seems like ending an energy program that added 25,000 jobs when you have nearly stagnant job growth isn't the type of sound decision we would hope for in a "jobs" president.