Columbus and Grove City vote in favor of Community Choice Aggregation for 100% renewable energy

COLUMBUS, OH— With overwhelming bipartisan support, Columbus and Grove City residents voted in favor of community choice aggregation (CCA), allowing their city to obtain bulk quantities of clean, renewable energy at a lower price.

For more than four years, community members and volunteers have been advocating the Columbus area to commit to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050. The support for CCA in both cities brings residents a step closer to their goals of clean energy independence.

As of November 4, Issue 1 in Columbus received 261,353 votes or 76 percent of the vote in favor of CCA. Issue 10 in Grove City, a generally conservative suburb, received 13,370 votes in favor of CCA, or 63 percent of the vote following bipartisan endorsements.

With collective purchasing power, both cities will now be able to access a lower price for their energy as well as the opportunity to obtain the kind of energy they want: 100 percent clean, renewable energy supplied by local construction of solar and wind projects.

As the chosen energy provider for Columbus, American Electric Power (AEP) has already begun bolstering clean energy efforts with 10 solar and wind facilities in development throughout Ohio. AEP is expected to expand its renewable energy infrastructure within the state, creating jobs and increasing community self-reliance from local and sustainable energy sources.

At his State of the City address in February, Mayor Andrew Ginther committed to pursuing aggregation for 100 percent renewable energy by 2022, a step toward the city’s long-term goal of making Columbus carbon neutral by 2050.

Columbus City Council voted to put aggregation for 100 percent renewable energy on the ballot in July with an initiative sponsored by Council Members Rob Dorans and Emmanuel Remy. Grove City Council followed suit in August with an initiative sponsored by Council Member Ted Berry.

In response, Cathy Cowan Becker, chair of Ready for 100 Ohio, issued the following statement:

“The Ready for 100 campaign has been active in Central Ohio for the past four years, and I am thrilled to see voters overwhelmingly pass Issue 1 in Columbus and Issue 10 in Grove City. Community Choice Aggregation for 100% renewable energy will save money, create jobs, clean the grid, improve public health, and significantly reduce our carbon emissions. It’s very rare that one initiative can do so many things, but Issue 1 and Issue 10 will do that in Central Ohio.”

Ted Berry, Grove City Council Member, issued the following statement:

“Aggregation ensures a larger pool of Grove City residents to lower costs. Individuals can still choose their own supplier, but aggregation allows us to reduce monthly energy bills. By negotiating to build solar, wind, or other renewable power sources, we clean up the air and take the equivalent of 15,000 cars off the road annually. In the end, we will have an Ohio supplier, built with Ohio jobs, and be at the forefront of America’s transition to cleaner energy.”

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