Columbus, OH – On Tuesday, The Buckeye Institute testified (see full text below or download a PDF) before the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on the policies in Ohio Senate Bill 275, which will help Ohio meet its growing energy demands.

In his testimony, Greg R. Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, noted that while “Senate Bill 275 does not address every energy issue the state faces,” it does “take several strides in the right direction,” including:

• Allowing for additional power generators to be built relatively quickly, increasing Ohio’s domestic power production;
• Allowing new generators to be built on brownfields—thus employing one solution to help solve two perennial problems;
• Authorizing solar collectors and natural gas microturbines to be placed in brownfields; 
• Authorizing a distributed energy network through virtual net metering, easing transmission bottlenecks, and enabling new power supplies to reach end-users much sooner than waiting for new powerplants to come online; and 
• Requiring that these projects be funded with private investments rather than public funding, avoiding taxpayer-funded subsidies.  

In closing, Lawson urged lawmakers to adopt “smart energy policies like those in Senate Bill 275” to “make it easier for power suppliers to build, network, and transmit energy” to Ohio consumers.   

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Meeting Ohio’s Growing Energy Demands

Interested Party Testimony
Ohio Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee
Ohio Senate Bill 275

Greg R. Lawson, Research Fellow
The Buckeye Institute
November 19, 2024

As Prepared for Delivery

Chair Reineke, Vice Chair McColley, Ranking Member Smith, and members of the Committee thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding Ohio Senate Bill 275.

My name is Greg R. Lawson. I am a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, an independent research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to advance free-market public policy in the states.

This committee knows that Ohio’s energy demands are growing. As the state’s economy continues to evolve, its manufacturing and technology sectors require and consume more and more energy. Cloud computing, semiconductor plants, and digital data storage centers in particular are dramatically changing Ohio’s economic and energy landscapes. Fundamental economic principles require supply to find ways to keep pace with demand. 

Senate Bill 275 does not address every energy issue the state faces, but it does take several strides in the right direction. The bill allows for additional power generators to be built relatively quickly, which will increase Ohio’s domestic power production. It allows new generators to be built on brownfields—undesirable areas that have long needed redevelopment and remediation—thus employing one solution to help solve two perennial problems. The draft legislation authorizes solar collectors and natural gas microturbines to be placed in brownfields, and it authorizes a distributed energy network through virtual net metering. This will allow users to manage energy from multiple locations, easing transmission bottlenecks, and it means that new power supplies can reach end-users much sooner than waiting for new powerplants to come online. Fortunately, Senate Bill 275 also insists that such redevelopment be done with private investment rather than public funding, avoiding the usual market-distorting subsidies that have plagued so many prior infrastructure and revitalization efforts.  

As Ohio sheds its Rust Belt past and grows into its 21st century future, its households, businesses, and new technology centers require adequate, affordable energy. Their growth and prosperity depend on it. Ohio enjoys bountiful natural resources and an innovative, hard-working labor force that can meet the state’s needs. And smart energy policies like those in Senate Bill 275 that make it easier for power suppliers to build, network, and transmit energy will help.   

Thank you for your time and attention. I would be happy to answer any questions that the committee might have.

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