TNC applauds Gov. DeWine, Ohio Legislature for securing state’s energy future
HB 15 will help balance energy needs as demand increases
Media Contacts
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Beth Schwingel
Media Relations Manager
The Nature Conservancy
Email: beth.schwingel@tnc.org
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) today applauded Gov. Mike DeWine, Reps. Roy Klopfenstein and Adam Holmes and Sens. Bill Reineke and Brian Chavez, along with the rest of the Ohio Legislature, for helping the state navigate a changing landscape of increasing energy demand and an uncertain future for federal energy policy. House Bill 15, which was signed into law by Gov. DeWine on May 15, and passed by the Legislature on April 30, will help address these challenges and help secure Ohio’s energy future.
“Ohio residents face a real risk of energy shortages and rising energy prices in the future and we want to thank the governor and lawmakers for seeing this threat and addressing it now before it’s too late,” said Rebecca Mellino, climate and energy policy associate with The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “House Bill 15 will help incentivize renewable energy siting on some of Ohio’s least usable land, including former industrial sites, landfills and abandoned mines.”
The Legislature’s new energy package wisely creates a process for county commissioners to designate Priority Investment Areas, or PIAs, on brownfields along with an accelerated siting process for all types of energy development, including renewable energy projects. Counties that have passed an ordinance prohibiting renewable energy development to protect their productive agriculture acres would not have to repeal the ordinance to create a Priority Investment Area.
Quote: Bill Stanley
Utility scale solar is an important part of an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy. We believe that incentives for renewable energy production in degraded areas just makes sense.
Brownfields present a unique opportunity to advance Ohio’s energy goals while benefiting communities across the state economically. These sites are traditionally seen as liabilities due to their contamination and limited utility, but we can use solar development to turn environmental burdens into assets that will help Ohioans.
Prioritizing solar on brownfields also helps preserve Ohio's valuable agricultural land and natural habitats by avoiding solar projects on lands that are well-suited for food production and conservation.
“Utility scale solar is an important part of an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy. We believe that incentives for renewable energy production in degraded areas just makes sense,” said Bill Stanley, state director for TNC in Ohio. “Solar on brownfields can support local communities by creating jobs and increasing tax revenues on land that is otherwise very difficult to develop. It’s a win-win for people and nature.”
According to research from TNC, there are more than 500,000 acres of brownfield land in Ohio with access to transmission lines and have slopes that are potentially suitable for solar energy development.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.