Get to know the Power a Clean Future Ohio Coalition

Nolan Rutschilling, Managing Director of Energy Policy, November 4, 2022

The OEC is proud to partner with Power a Clean Future Ohio, a nonpartisan coalition that empowers local leaders with technical support and resources to implement local-level solutions to the global climate crisis.

The statewide initiative launched in February 2020 to ensure Ohio’s local governments are well-positioned to achieve necessary emissions reductions by 2030. We’re one of a diverse set of advocacy organizations supporting PCFO’s mission to reduce carbon emissions in an achievable, equitable, and economical way

Earlier this year, the coalition achieved a major milestone: more than one-third of all Ohioans live in a PCFO community. Ohio communities and counties can join PCFO by passing a resolution with a commitment to work towards reducing carbon emissions. Once a community joins, they access technical assistance and planning resources at no cost that serve as catalysts for change. PCFO currently supports more than 35 communities across Ohio, from large metropolitan areas, mid-sized legacy cities, and county governments to smaller villages in every corner of the state.

Locals lead the way: a Dayton, Ohio Case Study

In the spring of 2022, PCFO worked with Dayton to create a greenhouse gas inventory—an assessment of emissions that contribute to climate change—through the PCFO Technical Assistance Team, including OEC energy experts and our partners. The team discovered that the city could significantly cut emissions in its operations, which account for about 14% of
Dayton’s total estimated emissions.

Because of PCFO’s greenhouse gas inventory, city officials now look to pursue federal funds through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law) and other avenues to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. They seek to switch to renewable energy sources and are looking at different ways to make their city’s buildings and infrastructure more energy efficient.

“Whether by joining Power a Clean Future Ohio or taking time to understand Ohio’s climate costs, cities have an opportunity to take bold climate action that creates true, sustainable change at the local level.”

The city also relaunched their community choice aggregation program for residential electricity purchasing by joining the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC). This transitioned every automatically-enrolled resident to 100% clean energy and also saved these residents 30% per kilowatt-hour on their bill compared to their local utility’s rates.

Communities and their leaders also have opportunities for peer-to-peer networking through the PCFO coalition. PCFO has brought together 13 communities throughout Ohio to engage in a sustainability planning cohort. Members actively workshop the different components of creating a sustainability or climate action plan centered on authentic community engagement. Local communities can also tap into the collective knowledge of experts and communities throughout Ohio who are striving to reduce and stop climate change in their backyards through a dedicated learning space.

We can all work together to create a clean energy future for Ohio where everyone everyone—no atter where they live—has access to renewable energy harvested in Ohio, beautiful green spaces full of native species, green manufacturing jobs, and affordable sustainable housing that’s ready for the technology and power of the 21st century.