This Letter to the Editor appeared on Cleveland.com.

A Jan. 16 letter to the Plain Dealer, "Ohio wants clean energy," endorses a recent poll showing that Ohio voters support renewable energy.

The letter suggests Ohio policymakers should therefore support a law requiring all Ohioans to buy electricity from wind and solar farms.

Protecting natural resources is laudable, and that's why The Buckeye Institute supports energy choice. All Ohioans can choose an electricity plan from competing providers that uses 100 percent renewable electricity.

This market system gives renewable energy companies an incentive to innovate, compete, and create sustainable jobs. Government mandates just give renewable energy companies an incentive to lobby government officials. Mandates in effect subsidize special interests at the expense of all Ohioans.

Ohio should open its doors to clean energy by encouraging choice and competition, rolling back restrictive regulations, and eliminating subsidies to any energy company.

A wind energy advocate recently stated, "It's clear Ohio conservatives are ready to allow farmers the opportunity to decide what's best for their business and their property." If farmers should be able to make their own decisions, the rest of Ohio should be too.

Greg R. Lawson
Research Fellow
The Buckeye Institute
Columbus