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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > May > 12
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
To cash in, Ohio must update codes
Ohio needs to adopt new building codes if it wants access to a $25 billion pot of federal stimulus money for energy efficiency projects, according to Environment Ohio.
The group is pushing Ohio officials to follow the lead of other states and adopt the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code for commercial and residential buildings.
Environment Ohio released a report Wednesday May 13 that says 40 percent of American energy use goes toward powering buildings and much is wasted through poor insulation, leaky windows and inefficient lighting, heating and cooling. All this contributes to global warming because fossil fuels are burned to generate most of the power used in Ohio, the report said.
Ohio could be in line to receive $96.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s state energy program but the state needs to update its building codes, Environment Ohio said.
Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Janine Migden-Ostrander said energy efficiency is good for consumers.
“By adopting higher building code standards, utility costs and energy use can be minimized,” Migden-Ostrander said. “If Ohioans are able to use less energy because more existing and new homes are made more energy efficient, hundreds of dollars per year could be saved in utility costs. With more stringent building codes, Ohio can defer and hopefully avoid the need to build costly power plants at the expense of residential consumers.”
Environment Ohio said other states, including Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia, are moving to adopt the most up-to-date building codes so that they can get federal stimulus money.
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Democrat Pepper enters race for state auditor
With Gov. Ted Strickland’s blessing, Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper on Tuesday, May 12, launched his campaign for state auditor in 2010.
“I believe to do this job well and properly Ohioans deserve an auditor who is independent,” Pepper, 37, said at the Ohio Democratic Party headquarters in Columbus.
Without mentioning her name, he said that Republican incumbent auditor Mary Taylor has criticized Democrat Strickland’s budget proposals without offering ideas of her own and also has been critical of federal stimulus dollars coming into Ohio.
“It’s no secret the current auditor refused to even support Ohio or its governments receiving stimulus funds,” Pepper said.
Chris Abbruzzese, spokesman for Taylor, said that “the auditor has never advocated rejecting the stimulus money and now that it’s here she feels it should be used responsibly to bring ongoing spending in line with ongoing revenue,”
Strickland said he approached Pepper several months ago about running for auditor and was pleased that Pepper took him up on the offer. Strickland pledged to do “everything I can” to help Pepper win.
The auditor is one of five members of the Apportionment Board that will draw new state legislative districts after the 2010 census. Incumbent Taylor still is mulling whether to run for re-election or seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
Pepper’s father John, former Procter & Gamble chairman and CEO, and mother Francie, attended the announcement as did Strickland. Also on hand were Treasurer Kevin Boyce and retired federal Judge Nathaniel Jones of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Pepper was a law clerk for Jones.
