Columbus, Ohio — At Tuesday’s Columbus City Council joint meeting of the Public Utilities & Environment Committees, the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund provided testimony in support of upcoming legislation to put community choice aggregation, with a commitment to move Columbus to 100 percent renewable energy, on the ballot.
The primary goals identified by the City for the aggregation program are to: (1) provide competitive retail energy supply costs for Columbus citizens and small businesses; (2) support renewable energy development, especially local renewable energy generation, to advance Columbus’ sustainable economy; and (3) to ensure that energy supplier(s) provide quality, reliable service and first-rate customer service.
Columbus City Council is scheduled to vote on July 20 to place the community choice aggregation measure on the November 2020 ballot.
The following statement can be attributed to Miranda Leppla, Vice President of Energy Policy for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund:
“The OEC Action Fund applauds the leadership by Columbus City Council and the Mayor’s office to move forward with community choice aggregation to move the city to 100 percent renewable energy and to bolster energy efficiency. Because our state legislature recently dismantled Ohio’s critically important state renewable portfolio and energy efficiency standards, bold action at the city level to address climate change is more urgent than ever.
“Ohioans overwhelmingly support climate action. By putting community choice aggregation on the ballot, Columbus voters will have the opportunity to voice their support for local investment in 100 percent clean, renewable energy — an important step in helping Columbus reduce its carbon footprint and fight the impacts of climate change while also taking control of our energy costs and remedying environmental injustices within our community.”