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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
UPDATED with Strickland reaction: Sen. Widener proposes bill to jump start green energy projects
Sen. Chris Widener, R-Springfield, on Wednesday, Feb. 24, unveiled legislation, Senate Bill 232, that he said would make Ohio more competitive with surrounding states in attracting renewal energy projects and creating “green-collar” jobs.
His bill would allow companies that want to build renewal energy generation facilities - such as wind projects - to pay an annual fee based on how much energy they generate instead of tangible personal property taxes. This would bring Ohio tax rates for such projects in line with surrounding states, Widener said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, Rep. Roland Winburn, D-Harrison Twp., said in a press release that he planned to introduce legislation “in the near future” with similar goals. His bill would eliminate the tangible personal property tax on generation equipment on wind and solar facilities but he did not provide more details.
Widener said he’s engaged in his own “March madness.” He said hearings would being next week on his bill and he’d like to get a final version to Gov. Ted Strickland for his signature by the end of March.
“There’s no reason to wait,” said Widener.
Gov. Ted Strickland welcomed the proposal, spokeswoman Amanda Wurst said in an e-mail.
“In his State of the State address, the governor proposed eliminating TPP (tangible personal property tax) for wind and solar farms that break ground in 2010, are creating energy in 2012 and create Ohio jobs.
“We have not had the chance to review either the Senate or House proposals, but the governor is encouraged that both chambers are taking a serious look at how we can grow green jobs in Ohio. Governor Strickland remains committed to working with the GA in a bipartisan manner to get a bill passed that continues to cement Ohio’s standing as the nation’s leader in advanced energy.”
Widener’s bill would:
*Allow companies seeking to generate renewable energy in Ohio to be exempt from the tangible personal property tax and instead make an annual payment amounting to $6,000 per megawatt of installed capacity for the life of the project.
*Tell the companies to apply to the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority for the exemption.
*Make the new tax treatment available for all renewable energy projects that are under construction by 2011 and operational by the end of 2012.
*Require each project to create a number of construction and operation jobs in Ohio consistent with a model published by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
*Require project owners to repair all roads impacted by construction.
*Require owners to train county fire and emergency responders for potential emergencies at the owner’s expense and equip local and county emergency responders with proper equipment to respond to emergencies.
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TweetFatal crashes down 14 percent in Ohio
Reports show traffic fatalities decreased by 14 percent in Ohio in 2009 compared with 2008, the state departments of public safety and transportation said on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Last year, 1,028 people lost their lives on Ohio roads in vehicle crashes compared with 1,191 in 2008. Motorcycle deaths are also on the decline with 163 deaths in 158 crashes last year compared with 213 deaths in 212 crashes in 2008, officials said.
And drunken driving was a factor in 320 fatalities last year, compared with 422 fatal crashes in 2008.
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TweetState payroll drops $48 million
A combination of layoffs and unpaid furlough days helped the state shave $48 million off its 2009 payroll costs over 2008, a state report released Wednesday, Feb. 24, shows.
Searchable data Find out how much your elected officials and other state employees made:
The state spent $3.24 billion on employee pay in 2009, compared with $3.29 billion in 2008. That includes overtime, vacation, sick days and other leave time.
During the budget crunch, most of the state’s 65,000 workers accepted pay freezes, 10-days a year in unpaid days off, and other concessions.
The state also clamped down on overtime in 2009. Ohio spent $517,362 less in overtime in 2009 than in 2008, records show.
The employee count for 2009 was 65,781 compared with 68,262 in 2008. Those numbers include full-time employees as well as seasonal workers, part-timers and people who serve on boards and commissions.
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Tweet5 other Ohioans top Wright Brothers to represent state in Capitol
Dayton’s Wright brothers came in sixth in a committee vote to decide finalists to represent Ohio in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Inventor Thomas Edison was the top vote getter among the 10 finalists, according to the National Statuary Collection Study Committee made up of members of the Ohio House and Senate.
The six members of the committee ranked their choices in preference from 1 to 10 and votes were calculated on that basis on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Here are the scores:
- Thomas Edison, inventor - 46 points
- Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and author - 40 points
- Jesse Owens, Olympic gold medal winner - 36 points
- Harriet Taylor Upton, women’s suffrage activist - 27 points
- James M. Ashley, Toledo congressman and abolitionist - 23 points
- Wright brothers, Dayton aviation pioneers - 22 points
- William McCulloch, Piqua congressman and civil rights supporter - 18 points
- Judith Resnik, Akron astronaut who died on the Challenger - 18 points
- Albert Sabin, Cincinnati, creator of oral polio vaccine - 12 points
- Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president and civil war general - 11 points
The only local representative on the committee was Rep. Richard Adams, R-Troy. Adams first choice was McCulloch. The Wright brothers were his second choice. Half of the committee members did not have the Wrights among their top 10.
Sen. Tom Leston, D-Warren, was the only member of the committee to rank the Wrights at No. 1.
Ohioans will have a chance to vote for their top choices at historical sites and museums around the state and other locations from March 20-June 12.
The House and Senate then are expected to make the final choice in November.
The new statue will replace a statue of William Allen, a former U.S. senator and congressman who also served a two-year term as governor from 1874-76. Allen held pro-slavery views and was an outspoken critic of Abraham Lincoln.
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TweetFisher leads Brunner, poll says
Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher leads Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner 29 to 20 in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate but 48 percent of Democrats are still undecided, according to a poll released Wednesday, Feb. 24, by Quinnipiac University.
Fisher had a slight lead - 24 to 22 - in Quinnipiac University’s poll released Nov. 12.
The winner of the May 4 primary will likely face former U.S. Rep. and former Bush White House budget director Rob Portman of Cincinnati.
The poll found that Portman holds small leads against both Fisher and Brunner in hypothetical match ups: 40-37 over Fisher and 40-35 over Brunner.
The poll also found that Ohio voters are fed up with both state and federal government. Only 1 percent said the federal government does the right thing “almost all of the the time” and 15 percent said “most of the time.” When it comes to state government, 2 percent say it does the right thing “almost all of the time” and 20 percent said most of the time.
Voters are also tired of the Democratic and Republican parties. Thirty-eight percent of Ohio voters view the Democratic party unfavorably and 37 percent view the GOP unfavorably, Quinnipiac University found.
Meanwhile, nearly one-third of voters view the Tea Party movement favorably and only 23 percent view it negatively.
“It is clear that the voter anger is bipartisan. They are fed up with both parties. Whether the Tea Party movement becomes a significant political force will be seen in the May primary and the November election, but clearly it has the potential to be a big factor in elections this year,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
The poll surveyed 1,662 Ohio voters between Feb. 16 and Feb. 21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percent.
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TweetRep. Morgan gets “Family First” endorsement in auditor’s race
State Rep. Seth Morgan has received the endorsement of the Family First PAC, a conservative political action committee, in the race for state auditor.
Morgan is running for the GOP nomination against Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, the state GOP-endorsed candidate. “Family First is honored to endorse Rep Seth Morgan CPA for auditor of state. Seth Morgan has a proven record on the issues of limited government, school choice, pro-life, the sanctity of marriage, and responsible spending and taxation,” Lori Viars, executive director of Family First, said in a press release on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
“Seth has proven himself as a solid fiscal conservative and social conservative, as well as a man of integrity. With his credentials and experience as a CPA, Ohioans could not ask for a more qualified watchdog for our tax dollars,” Viars, of Lebanon, said. Family First works in Ohio and Northern Kentucky, the release said.
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