Two States Step Back On Solar, One City Steps Up

You would think that by now, well into the 21st century, no states would be taking steps to slow down the growth of renewable energy technologies within their borders. Amazingly, Ohio and Wisconsin are actually doing so.

The former by dropping a mandate that their electric utilities buy or generate an increasing amount of renewables. The latter by taking away certain incentives for people to purchase renewables like solar and wind.

Why has this happened? There’s no mystery here. The usual suspects are to blame, The coal industry and the electric utilities themselves want to stop the growth of this competitor with help from state legislators. You know. Like old King Canute was going into stop the waves with the help of friendly church officials.

It’s sad, silly, and hurtful to the economies of both states. In essence, along with everything else, they have taken away incentives for one of this country’s now and future biggest growth industries that will now grow elsewhere.

Let’s hope citizens of Ohio and Wisconsin punish the folks who are keeping them from their rightful place in the sun. In the interim, more cheerful solar news from another state. Burlington, largest city in Vermont, recently announced it now gets all its power for solar, wind and biomass.

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Michael Silverstein is a long time environmental writer, and former senior editor at Bloomberg. Kay Wood is the author of an environmental graphic novel, The Big Belch.