Departments - Technical Tips
Ohio Should Take the Lead in the Clean Energy Revolution
3/15/2010
This past December in Copenhagen, Denmark, many voices – in many languages – called out for action to cut carbon pollution, curb global warming, and rev up the clean-energy economy.
This past December in Copenhagen, Denmark, many voices – in many languages – called out for action to cut carbon pollution, curb global warming, and rev up the clean-energy economy. As I participated in the United Nations climate summit, I could not help but wonder whether Ohio will go “all in” on the clean-energy job revolution.
I hope so. As a councilman representing the 24,000 people of Cleveland’s Ward 15, I have been an advocate for alternative and renewable energy and for green building initiatives. Ward 15 is home to Ohio’s only EcoVillage, a community established with the aim of being ecologically sustainable. It features energy-efficient homes, a model storm-water demonstration project, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDs) theater and certified housing project.
As one of two U.S. municipal elected officials invited to represent the National League of Cities (NLC), for which I serve as vice chairman of the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, my tasks included reinforcing the alliances and partnerships that NLC has developed over the years with other national and international municipal associations.
We have done much in our state and nation to move America away from a single-minded dependence on foreign oil. Even so, as I discovered in Copenhagen, we are in an international race to develop clean energy. I am convinced that Ohio has made a great start, but we have much more to do. Together, with the rest of America, we can be the leader.
Ohio has a lot to gain. According to a joint 2009 report from the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) and Center for American Progress (CAP), the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in conjunction with a system like that laid out in the U.S. House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act, would drive a major increase in demand for clean energy. This shift will yield a net boost of more than 67,000 statewide jobs, while also driving a net increase of state investment revenue by $5.6 billion. Another report, from PERI, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Green for All, projected that clean-energy investment would bring 10,421 new jobs to the Cleveland metropolitan area alone.
And this is no vague shot at a distant future. The clean-energy revolution is already happening. According to a Pew Charitable Trusts report, clean-energy jobs in Ohio grew by 7.3% between 1998 and 2007, compared to a 2.2% decline for all other jobs. In 2007, there were more than 2,500 clean-energy businesses operating in the state. An NRDC Green Jobs report found that there are already more than 550,000 jobs in Ohio in a wide range of job areas that could see “job growth or wage increases” as part of the push for clean-energy renewal and climate-change mitigation.
Opponents of the transition to a clean-energy revolution advocate for the status quo and continue to put our city and regional safety, environment, and economy at risk. Even worse, they imply we must choose either economic rebirth or environmental stewardship, when, in fact, we can and should tackle both. They claim to speak for the entire business community, making false allegations that clean-energy measures will increase costs and lead to further job cuts.
Fortunately, a growing number of responsible entrepreneurs and business leaders are not buying the flawed arguments against clean-energy renewal. They understand that we need to create jobs now, not continue to line the pockets of special interests.
Ohio can and must be at the forefront of this rebirth. We have the opportunity to harness the vast potential of clean energy and become a global leader in economic solutions that will have positive, long-lasting results. We possess the necessary tools, the technology and the innovative and creative spirit. Now we need the implementation.
America – and Ohio – does not need another short-term solution; we need far-reaching action. Elected leaders in Washington must listen to the broad and diverse set of business voices supporting clean-energy policies and act quickly to put our nation back on track and back to work.
Matt Zone represents Ward 15 on Cleveland City Council and is president of the Northeast Ohio City Council Association.