Neyer: Let’s respect science on climate change
Dan Neyer, president/CEO of Neyer Properties, is president of the board of the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance.
The recently unveiled Clean Power Plan, through the cooperative federalism process, allows states like Ohio to become leaders in fighting climate change, while also creating jobs and spurring economic innovation.
Let’s respect the scientific consensus on these matters, and work together in a meaningful and collaborative way to create solutions.
The CPP’s key payoff for Ohio is its flexibility. It gives our state two years to create a compliance plan and until 2030 to reduce its carbon emission rates by 28 percent. If Ohio expands its energy portfolio to include more renewable sources such as solar and wind power, and expands upon its energy efficiency programs, it will have no problem meeting the CPP’s goals. Let’s drive the development of that plan right here in Cincinnati, recognizing that the solutions will give owners of homes and businesses more options to control their energy costs and investing in renewable energy will be more cost effective than ever. In turn, our local electrical and mechanical contractors will see their businesses grow.
We already have local corporations leading by example. Procter & Gamble established a corporate goal of powering their facilities with 30 percent renewable energy by 2020 and a long-term goal to ultimately achieve 100 percent renewable energy. This includes a direct global investment in solar, wind and biomass. Furthermore, Macy’s is one of the 10 largest corporate users of solar in the country, and Kroger is regularly recognized by the Department of Energy for, among other accomplishments, reducing its energy use by 35 percent since 2000. Smart investment in clean energy is good for business and the environment is a chief beneficiary. Let’s bring together our business community, large and small, to develop the strategy and expertise for businesses of all sizes to make similar investments. And let’s recognize Duke Energy for voluntarily providing energy efficiency programs to the community and find ways to expand upon them.
As an added bonus, a balanced energy portfolio that includes renewable energy will help maintain a more stable power grid – thus guarding against power outages that communities see far too often when power consumption spikes during the summer. A stable power grid means that Ohio businesses can operate with confidence even when other states experience rolling brownouts. Each hour lost from a brownout leads businesses one step closer to moving out of the state.
Our organization, Neyer Properties, operates from a LEED gold certified HQ and is making energy efficiency investments in our commercial real estate holdings throughout the region because it’s the right thing to do. It also increases our occupancy rates while decreasing our tenants operating costs. And the team at the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance works every day to make investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy more accessible and affordable for homes and businesses. As a nonprofit, their impact is defined by the measurement of economic development and job creation. The CPP gives GCEA a tool to build on their track record of completing over $40 million of clean energy projects that created over 300,000 hours of private sector labor and the CPP provides a framework that could generate significant growth in the market.
Now is the right time for our region and the state of Ohio to lead the way with renewable energy. Declining costs, due to technology innovations, have made it easier for states and businesses to turn to renewable power.
If Ohio delays on implementing its state plan, or chooses not to increase the use of renewable power, it risks missing this opportunity – putting both our economic and environmental future in jeopardy. Our region already has leadership with a demonstrated track record; let’s build from that for the benefit of all.