Column mischaracterized Appalachian energy and Ohio’s electricity profile

Cleveland Plain Dealer. I take issue with a Feb. 2 column promoting House Bill 450 (”Community solar bill offers energy justice to Appalachian Ohio”). The piece included inaccuracies about where Ohio gets its electricity and mischaracterized current Appalachian realities.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration indicate coal only makes up 37% of our state’s electric generation, not 69% as claimed in the article. As of 2020, natural gas was Ohio’s single largest source of net electricity generation, representing 43% of generation. To top it off, Ohio saw a 37.7% reduction in CO2 emissions in its electric generation sector between 2005 and 2015.

That was thanks to natural gas production, much of which comes from Appalachia. Monroe and Harrison counties had Ohio’s two fastest-growing economies in 2020, growing by 20.5% each when most county economies shrank due to COVID-19. That growth was driven by $93 billion of investment in Ohio by the natural gas and oil industry since 2011.

I’m not writing to support or oppose HB 450, I simply want to share the truth about Appalachia. We’re thankful for the investments that have been made here by Ohio’s natural gas and oil industry, and we welcome additional investments by any industry.

Daniel Dougherty,

Hilliard