“We believe that power generation decisions should be made on a statewide basis, not a township or county basis, because the grid is a very complicated statewide electric grid,” Stivers said, noting that the Chamber would support legislation to shift power back to the state and away from local communities.
In addition to broader concerns about the state’s energy and infrastructure needs, the Chamber’s positions reflect that some of its members have “stated publicly to shareholders and to employees that they have certain sustainability goals,” Long said. “So they’re looking for energy with less carbon footprint.” The Chamber’s Ohio Supreme Court briefs noted the “renewable energy appetite” of various members, such as Proctor & Gamble, Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft.
Companies with sustainability goals can choose whether to buy energy or other goods and services from within Ohio or outside the state, said Nolan Rutschilling, managing director of energy policy for the Ohio Environmental Council. So, when lawmakers don’t embrace clean energy, “they’re costing their communities jobs and tax revenue.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also taken a general position supporting renewable energy and nuclear power for producing more emissions-free electricity. Yet a 2024 InfluenceMap analysis showed it actively advocated against various policies to address climate change. State and local chambers of commerce generally act independently, focusing on business issues for their particular areas.
In Ohio, support from business groups encouraged the state to pursue grants and other benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act and other clean-energy programs during the Biden administration, Rutschilling said. The Ohio Environmental Council is in the initial stages of setting up an Ohio Business Energy Partnership with business groups, companies, and other environmental organizations, he added.
Yet Republicans who favor fossil-fuel development over clean energy still control the state government. And Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, have substantial control over the legislative agenda.
McColley was a primary sponsor of SB 52, the law that allows local governments to block certain renewable projects, and has said he wants state policy to create more investment in natural gas. Huffman has taken the position that renewables don’t produce enough electricity and can’t compete with natural gas and nuclear power. (Financial advisory firm Lazard reported in 2024 that the levelized cost of utility-scale solar and wind can be cheaper than or in the range of combined-cycle gas.)
As energy policy develops this year, Long said the Chamber would support changes to SB 52’s limits on renewable energy facilities, by centering decision-making back at the state level. “If we’re going to have a state policy for energy, we need a state policy for energy, and not kind of a local, here-and-there sort of policy.”
“It’s probably a heavy lift to put the genie back in the bottle” on all of the law’s current limits on renewable-energy development, Long continued. “But at the same time, if we’re going to get a comprehensive energy plan, maybe we should look at the power siting board process…and come back to more of a state-focused energy policy.”
Ohio Senate Democratic Whip Kent Smith, D-Euclid, said business group support for renewable energy matters because they “are, at their very core, capitalists. They’re hearing it from their members that the new energy economy is a growing sector. And for Ohio to not want to play in the new energy economy just takes money out of people’s pocketbooks here.”
While Smith hopes clean-energy legislation will make progress, he remains skeptical. In his view, too much of Ohio’s energy policy has been “driven by political contributions and investor utilities’ influence on Capitol Square.” Among other things, he wants legislation to repeal the HB 6 coal subsidies, provide more protection from utility shutoffs, and “get the politics out of your utility bills.”
