Last week, the Ohio House voted to eliminate Ohio’s Renewable Energy mandate. This is the right policy for Ohio. 

Renewable energy is a good thing. We support it just as we support our other energy sectors including coal, natural gas, and nuclear. But we do not support mandates. Mandates increase costs and hurt consumers. When renewables are ready to compete and defeat other energy sources on a level playing field, that will be a good day. But until the market works to make that day a reality, there should be absolutely no tilting of the scales in favor of renewables.

The Buckeye Institute’s Economic Research Center (ERC) made clear in its recent report that the renewable energy mandate will increase the cost of electricity in Ohio. This will mean fewer jobs and higher costs with particularly bad affects on fixed income seniors and low income Ohioans already struggling with their bills.

The ERC specifically found that in a worst-case scenario under the RPS mandate, Ohio would suffer 134,100 fewer jobs and a loss of $15.5 billion in GDP by 2026. Even in the best case scenario—in which policymakers immediately and indefinitely freeze the mandates at 2016—the RPS will still cause employment opportunities to decline by 6,800 jobs accounting for a loss of $806 million in GDP by 2026.

We commend the Ohio House of Representatives for the important stand they took last week despite taking a great deal of heat from renewable energy proponents. We hope the Ohio Senate will be as bold.