November 5, 2020
Ready for 100 team and supporters:
WE DID IT!! Thanks to your tireless efforts, a seismic shift is underway in the energy landscape of Central Ohio. Yesterday, Columbus voters approved Issue 1 by 76% and Grove City voters approved Issue 10 by 63%. Both measures enact Community Choice Aggregation for 100% renewable energy!
It’s hard to overstate the implications of these victories at the polls. The Columbus aggregation program will be the largest electric aggregation program in the Midwest and the third-largest in the country -- all for 100% renewable energy. It will lower carbon emissions in Columbus by 1.2 million metric tons, up to 19% of the city’s total, equivalent to taking 260,000 cars off the road.
It’s hard to overstate the implications of these victories at the polls. The Columbus aggregation program will be the largest electric aggregation program in the Midwest and the third-largest in the country -- all for 100% renewable energy. It will lower carbon emissions in Columbus by 1.2 million metric tons, up to 19% of the city’s total, equivalent to taking 260,000 cars off the road.
What’s more, the energy will come from new wind and solar generation facilities constructed here in Ohio, creating good-paying union jobs. After an RFP process that saw proposals from four utilities, Columbus contracted with AEP to build 700 MW of wind and solar energy facilities in Ohio to meet the city’s electricity demand, kicking off a new clean energy industry.Perhaps even more remarkable than the victory in Columbus was the victory in Grove City, a majority Republican community. Leaders of some prominent organizations told us it could not be done in Grove City -- but they were wrong. Voters there care about clean air and water as much as everyone else, and they approved electric aggregation for 100% renewable energy.
Grove City can now move forward with selecting a utility to meet the demand for 100% clean energy through construction of wind and solar projects in Ohio. The program could reduce emissions in Grove City by almost 75,000 metric tons, equivalent to taking almost 16,000 cars off the road -- all while lowering electric bills for thousands of residents and businesses.
Of course we want to thank the leaders of both cities who made this possible: Councilmembers Rob Dorans and Emmanuel Remy as well as Mayor Andrew Ginther in Columbus, and Councilmember Ted Berry and Mayor Ike Stage in Grove City.
But most of all, we want to recognize the tireless work by YOU: our all-volunteer team of grassroots activists with Ready for 100 in Columbus and Ohio. Over the past four years you organized trainings, film showings, panel discussions, and community dialogues; tabled at dozens of community festivals and events; met with city leaders and staff and testified at city meetings; talked with community leaders across Central Ohio; wrote letters to the editor; and gathered over 5,000 signatures on our AddUp petition in support of 100% renewable energy.
The result has been a resounding victory in Ohio, a state whose legislature is notoriously hostile to renewable energy. If 100% renewable energy can be done here, it can be done anywhere. Already other communities in Central Ohio are preparing to follow in the footsteps of Columbus and Grove City, changing the energy landscape of the entire region.
None of this would have been possible without your dedication, involvement, and support . Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have done to help facilitate the transition to the clean energy economy we must have for a livable planet.
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Best regards,
Cathy Cowan Becker
Ready for 100 Ohio