Ohio Pen - Columbus Joins Power A Clean Future Ohio

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Mayor Andrew J. Ginther is proud to announce that Columbus is joining Power A Clean Future Ohio (PCFO), a growing group of leading cities and local governments across Ohio taking meaningful actions to reduce emissions and invest in clean energy. Earlier this month, Mayor Ginther announced the City's first-ever Climate Action Plan, committing to a reduction of carbon emissions by 45% by 2030.

Columbus has already made great strides in several areas including adopting a 100% Ohio-based clean energy aggregation program, along with prioritizing city-wide energy benchmarking and transparency for buildings, electric vehicle adoption, and growing local solar development in the region and state. Today's announcement is another step Columbus is making toward an equitable, sustainable future.

"I am inspired by the work of my colleagues around the state, and we are proud of the significant and historic progress we have made in Columbus," said Mayor Ginther. "Joining Power A Clean Future Ohio gives us an opportunity to ensure Ohio is doing its part to preserve our environment and reduce our carbon emissions."

PCFO works with local leaders to provide technical assistance and partnerships to help city staff continue its focus on creating a sustainable, clean energy economy for all. Power A Clean Future Ohio is a nonpartisan coalition and campaign that is dedicated to working with local communities to develop equitable clean energy solutions to benefit the well-being of residents, the environment and the economy.

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"We welcome the City of Columbus to this exciting work across the state of Ohio," said Joe Flarida, Executive Director of Power A Clean Future Ohio. "Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Ginther, Columbus continues to demonstrate that addressing climate change requires action, urgency and community voices. The Climate Action Plan announced last week is ambitious, timely and comprehensive. The next step is to continue the hard work to achieve the goals outlined in the plan. PCFO looks forward to supporting the City in its efforts to build a clean energy future for Columbus."

"Thanks to Mayor Ginther's leadership, Columbus is rapidly becoming a statewide and national leader in addressing the climate crisis through equitable solutions," said Ohio Environmental Council Executive Director Heather Taylor-Miesle. "By joining Power A Clean Future Ohio, Columbus joins a strong network of local communities who are working to reduce emissions and increase their resiliency to the impacts of climate change. We commend the City of Columbus for continuing to lead in the fight for environmental justice and climate action."

"The City of Columbus has been a strong and valued fleet partner of Clean Fuels Ohio for many years now," said Andrew Conley, Interim Co-CEO of Clean Fuels Ohio. "The City has been a leader in fleet sustainability for many years by focusing on transportation decarbonization through deployment of a wide variety of alternative fuels and vehicle technologies. Clean Fuels Ohio supports their decarbonization-focused approach and is excited to see Columbus create a strong climate action plan and join PCFO."

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Utilizing clean energy sources improves air quality, a significant issue for the state. Ohio ranks 46^th in the nation in asthma rates for children ages 0-17. Poor air quality is a major contributor to asthma rates, particularly in disproportionately impacted communities, which is the leading reason for hospital ER visits in this age group. Developing innovative solutions to harmful air pollution will also serve to protect the health of all Columbus residents.

In 2020, 103,400 people were employed in clean energy jobs throughout the state, and Ohio auto manufacturers are planning major investments to build more electric vehicles in Ohio in the coming years. In addition, 39 companies that are either headquartered in Ohio or are among the state's 100 largest employers have dedicated plans to be powered by 100% renewable energy by a specific date.

Cities like Columbus are joining with these employers in making a commitment to spur the economic growth and development that results from embracing clean technologies and advanced transportation. The jobs of the future are in clean energy and clean transportation.

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