Montgomery County trails the pack in green energy plans
COLUMBUS — When it comes to public sector "shovel-ready" renewable energy, power conservation and bicycle-friendly transit projects, Montgomery County — the birthplace of aviation and promoter of its innovation history — is playing catch-up with other Ohio metro counties, a study by an advocacy group shows.
As President Obama pushes a stimulus plan to inject billions of dollars into green industry solutions in an effort to fire up a struggling economy, metro counties throughout Ohio are making pitches for those funds.
Significant for the role Ohio could play in the ramp up of the renewable power industry, Obama picked a wind turbine component plant in Cuyahoga County's Bedford Heights days before his inauguration to make a pitch.
"Renewable energy isn't something pie in the sky. It's not part of a far-off future. It's happening all across America right now," Obama told Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. workers that day. "It can create millions of additional jobs and entire new industries if we act right now."
In Ohio, there are at least $1 billion and more in public sector green projects awaiting funding, the advocacy group Environment Ohio said. The projects could generate 11,149 jobs. To meet the non-profit advocacy group's criteria, proposed projects lessen foreign oil dependence, generate renewable energy or conserve energy — things that should pay big dividends to taxpayers over time.
Akron (Summit County) just opened a bus depot that hosts a solar array — there are 432 solar panels on the roof, the largest array in Ohio — and 45 geothermal wells.
Cleveland (Cuyahoga) wants bike trails, super-efficient lighting and training programs.
Columbus (Franklin) retrofitted an old downtown department store, harnessing rainwater for cooling and slashing energy costs with a green roof. The capital city has a 30-unit green housing development — fully occupied. It also wants streetcars, a solar array, and light rail.
Cincinnati (Hamilton) wants much of the same.
Dayton? A wish list forwarded to Washington, D.C., is heavy with traditional street maintenance such as asphalt resurfacing and sidewalks and curbs — $40 million by city officials' last count.
Dayton's seeming lack of ambition for green projects compared with other Buckeye state counties and cities is underscored by how others approach the opportunity.
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