Four Dozen Ohio Businesses Call for Repeal of House Bill 6

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of nearly 50 businesses, investors, trade associations, and employers in Ohio sent a letter to Governor Mike DeWine and members of the Ohio Legislature today urging the immediate repeal of House Bill 6. The letter is in response to the federal indictment of former House Speaker Larry Householder and urges lawmakers to restore Ohio's clean energy standards and put the state back on a path toward a clean energy future.

The letter's signatories include national consumer and Fortune 500 brands, like Ball Corp, Burton, Clif Bar, Facebook, General Mills, IKEA, and Nestlé, as well as mid-size companies in the energy sector, such as Ameresco, Cree Lighting, and Uplight.

Many of these businesses also sent letters to lawmakers last year urging them not to pass HB 6.

Prior to the passage of HB 6, ratepayers saved hundreds of millions of dollars each year on their utility bills and were on track to save more than $5 billion by 2020 through state energy efficiency programs. For businesses, these savings could be reinvested back into the local economy, enabling them to support their workforce and supply chains. With the implementation of HB 6, utilities are required to end these programs and these savings and reinvestment opportunities have begun to disappear.

The dual public health and economic crises facing Ohio heightens the need for clean energy programs. In 2018, prior to the passage of HB 6, almost 82,000 Ohioans worked in the energy efficiency sector. Many of these jobs are now at risk as employers struggle to stay in business. Prolonged uncertainty surrounding HB 6 will further damage the state's economy by permanently jeopardizing tens of thousands of these jobs and a collapse of the clean energy economy.

"Ohio is facing unprecedented unemployment and economic uncertainty," said Gary Swanson, President and CEO of Energy Management Solutions, Inc., a business forced to layoff employees and close its New Albany office because of HB 6. "The loss of clean energy jobs and services has real implications for the local economy. Even simple energy efficiency upgrades, like lightbulb replacements, have a big impact over time on energy costs. Bringing back Ohio's clean energy programs will provide job stability and much needed revenue for the state."

Nearly half of Ohio's top employers have set clean energy investment or greenhouse gas reduction targets.

"Businesses are urging the immediate repeal of House Bill 6 in order to restore public confidence and ensure the continued growth of Ohio's clean energy economy," said Alli Gold Roberts, Director of State Policy at Ceres, an organization behind the letter. "HB 6 jeopardizes the forward-thinking clean energy investments businesses have made. It is critical that the legislature immediately repeal HB 6 and put Ohio back on a path toward economic recovery."

The full list of businesses and organizations who signed the letter are:

• 2G Energy, Inc.
• AB Energy
• Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)
• Ameresco, Inc.
• Anax Power
• Ball Corporation
• Building Performance Association (BPA)
• Burton
• Capstone Turbine Corporation
• CEM Engineering
• Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE)
• Clif Bar
• Combined Heat and Power Alliance
• Cree Lighting
• DE Solutions
• Energy Management Solutions, Inc.
• Energy Dynamics Group
• Facebook
• Friends Fiduciary
• General Mills
• H. Ertel, Inc.
• Heat is Power Association
• Henry F. Teichmann, Inc.
• IKEA
• Imagine Baking, Inc.
• Integral Power
• Integrated CHP Systems Corp.
• Ironclad Energy Partners, LLC
• JLL
• Kanin Energy
• Melink
• Midwest Cogeneration Association
• National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO)
• National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
• Nestlé
• North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA)
• NuGen LED Solutions
• Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA)
• Primary Energy
• Proctor Engineering Group
• Recleim
• Schneider Electric
• Solar Turbines, Inc.
• Sustainable Energy Services, Inc.
• Talan Products, Inc.
• Terrapin Geothermics
• Trillium Asset Management
• Uplight
• YellowLite

About Ceres
Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. For more information visit www.ceres.org.

SOURCE Ceres