Ohio has the potential to generate wind energy “on a large scale,” but the state “lacks a rulebook that allows developers to do just that,” Cleveland.com reports. When the Ohio General Assembly passed stricter wind turbine setback requirements in 2014, industry advocates said it placed Ohio “at a disadvantage to neighboring states” with more accommodating standards, according to the article. Wind developers are “hoping to persuade state lawmakers” to return to the standards that were in place before the 2014 change, which would increase the number of turbines allowed to be built for any newly approved projects. Amazon, which purchases electricity from a wind farm in Paulding County built under the old setback rules, has expressed support for a reversion to the old setback rules to allow for more wind development in the state (see our November 18, 2016 blog post). A “larger debate on energy policy” is expected in the state legislature this year, but it’s not clear whether wind turbine setback rules will be included in that discussion. For more, read the full article.
Wind industry looks to Ohio legislature for its future in the state
