Ex-Gov. Strickland frustrated to see Ohio dumping renewable energy goals

[TexasTowelie]

COLUMBUS — On May 1, 2008, then-Gov. Ted Strickland signed into law a measure designed to push coal-dependent Ohio toward solar, wind, and other renewable sources of electricity.

The bill passed with a single negative vote at a time when Republicans controlled both the House and Senate and a Democrat sat in the governor’s office.

“We tried to have a comprehensive bill to position Ohio to be a major producer of energy, especially renewable energy,” Mr. Strickland told The Blade. “At the time we passed our standards, we had one of the strongest in the country for a state like ours.”

Republicans at the time insisted on going even further. For them, it wasn’t enough to simply say utilities had to acquire 12.5 percent of the power they sell from renewable sources by 2025. The utilities would have to meet specific benchmarks each year to demonstrate their progress.

Read more: https://www.toledoblade.com/local/environment/2019/06/09/former-governor-ted-strickland-frustrated-to-see-ohio-dumping-renewable-energy-goals/stories/20190606150

[True Blue American]

1. Strickland was blamed for

The Bush recession. That is how we ended up with Kasich. Hanky panky gave us DeWine.

When he signed the Abortion bill Kasich refused to sign my very Republican DIL complained they are taking us back to the 1970’s. I do not want to go back.

The call Middletown middletucky. Now the whole state has become Ohiotucky.

[Botany]

2. Ohio has become North Mississippi

n/t

[infinite_wisdom]

3. Ohio hasn't recovered from the 2010 elections

It all seemed to fall apart so fast here in Ohio.

Ohio was the definition of a battle ground purple state. Then the 2010 election when the Republicans rode the Tea Party wave gave the R’s big majorities and they proceeded to gerrymander the state into seemingly permanent oblivion.

The state is also not as diverse as most states and is getting older. Combine that with Democratic.leadership here that has always seemed unorganized and running scared even well before 2010 and the die was cast. I think it might be awhile before it gets better. The young people are not going to stick around as we become more like West Virginia or Kentucky.

[MBS]

4. a sad parallel to what's happening nationwide

Of all the things that enrage me about the current regime, it's their gleeful (and irreversible) destruction of the environment, and equally gleeful destruction of the national environmental standards and international agreements that took decades to develop and implement that stress my mental health most of all.

I understand that greed is the chief driving force. But what I don't understand is this: shouldn't even Republicans want to live in a place with clean air, clear water, and soils free of toxins? Shouldn't even Republicans see that addressing climate change, getting ahead of the game on alternative energy, and conserving our natural resources is crucial to our immediate national security and international standing, quite apart from such "trivial" (not) issues like saving the planet?

Every minute that this regime pollutes our country (both literally and figuratively) is a precious minute lost in addressing these urgent problems.

[infinite_wisdom]

5. They don't care

The nationalist movement is illiberal. Anything viewed as coming from the left is evil and must be destroyed.

They don’t apply logic. There is no contemplation, just visceral reaction. Their battle cry is burn it down, and environmental protections are definitely on the list.

it is all about aligning with corporate short term thinking and eliminating the balance government is supposed to provide to that equation.

It’s going to end in a very dark place. Some of them even realize this and they still don’t care. It’s the damndest thing Trumpism and this global nationalist movement. There is no vision and they don’t care. They don’t need to provide tangible goals, they can run on fear and hate for a very long time.

[MBS]

6. I agree -

I can sort of see the (sick) logic behind the hatred and the greed. (And in basing his "policies" on the sole hatred-fueled criterion of destroying every single bit of Obama's legacy, Trump is the worst of all in his zealotry to destroy everything coming from the left).

What I don't understand (and what has literally kept me up at night) is the suicidal pandemic of nihilism, both here and globally.