COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state House passed legislation Wednesday to allow a coal-burning facility in southern Ohio to claim a renewable energy credit – a commodity that utility companies pay for in cash to comply with Ohio’s green energy requirements.
“Haverhill 1′s steam produced by the heat recovery process currently displaces the natural gas that would otherwise be required to support Altivia’s distillation processes,” said Katie Batten, of SunCoke, to lawmakers during a prior committee hearing. State Rep. Justin Pizzulli, a Republican whose district includes the SunCoke facility, said the legislation benefits the company’s efforts to conserve energy that would otherwise be wasted. Passage, he said, will “contribute to and benefit from our clean energy goals.” Chillicothe Republican state Rep. Mark Johnson said the bill is a means to help climate change and to also “keep the steel industry competitive.