Rebuild Y-Town with Green $$$

[irishbobcat]

Youngstown: The Incredible Shrinking City Can Re-Grow With New Renewable Energy Bill and New Leadership in Columbus

April 25, 2008

CnnMoney.com has now renamed Youngstown as the "Incredible Shrinking City." But when Governor Strickland signs into law next week Ohio's New Energy Bill Youngstown can quickly see re-growth with the creation of a new manufacturing industry in Ohio -- renewable energy. Wind turbine installers have all but promised to rush into the Buckeye state because utilities here will be required to begin generating a portion of their power with wind, solar and other renewable technologies. And by sending new leadership to Columbus and replacing non-productive Bob Hagan in the state house with an Independent Green Party State Representative, the 60th district can be placing "sold" signs in yards instead of paying people to move out of parts of the city.

As the Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative, I have made it one of my main campaign issues that renewable energy companies can rebuild our valley. Such companies and manufacturers are already producing job growth across the country and our state, and as the new representative in Columbus I will be able to work with private investors, green corporations, and federal grants to bring blue-collar and high tech green collar jobs to the 60th district.

As a Green Party Member, we advocated renewable energy as well as the manufacturers of wind turbines and solar equipment who pushed Strickland to live up to his campaign rhetoric that such technologies could create a new industry in job-starved Ohio. What we won was a mandate requiring that 12.5 percent of the power sold in Ohio come from renewable technologies by 2025 and -- thanks to the House -- a year-by-year step-up or benchmark that must be met.

The greens also won a "carve-out" for solar power. The bill requires 0.5 percent of the renewable power to come from solar systems. The House put that number at 1 percent but had to back it down at the request of the Senate.

The House also kept in language creating energy efficiency mandates that will require each utility to show over the next 17 years that it has helped its customers reduce their power consumption by a total of 22 percent -- reducing the need for a costly new power plant.
Youngstown has been given a chance to become the Green Energy Manufacturing Giant for the 21st Century. Now it's time to put an Independent Green Party State Representative in Columbus to help this program along. It's time to bring Bob Hagan with all his fossil fuel lobbyist and PAC money home.

The Future for Youngstown is Green. If not now, when?

Dennis Spisak-Independent Green Party Candidate for State Representative-60th District

Campaign site: Http://votespisak.tripod.com

Check out our links to progressive job programs and renewable energy jobs for the valley.