Cuyahoga County joins Power A Clean Future Ohio
Action Reaffirms Commitment to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(COLUMBUS, OH)— Executive Armond Budish and Director of Sustainability Mike Foley signed Cuyahoga County on as a member today to join Power a Clean Future Ohio, furthering the County’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the communities it serves. PCFO will work with local leaders to provide technical assistance and partnerships to help County staff as they continue to work toward the established goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Cuyahoga County by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Cuyahoga County is now the third county to join Power a Clean Future Ohio.
Power a Clean Future Ohio is a nonpartisan coalition 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.
Joe Flarida, executive director of Power a Clean Future Ohio said, “Cuyahoga County has a track record of working toward solutions to overcome environmental challenges and facilitate forward thinking toward long-term sustainability goals to benefit local businesses, employees, residents and the community. We work with several PCFO communities in Northeast Ohio on their carbon reduction plans and sustainability goals, so we can help coordinate and align efforts between the cities across the region with the County as well to have the greatest impact on emissions reduction and improved quality of life for all residents.”
As detailed in the declaration, Cuyahoga County will review and update Cuyahoga County’s Climate Action Plan during FY 2023 as it continues to lay out a roadmap to achieve its carbon reduction goals and to proactively seek input from the community through a review and update process. Mike Foley, Director of Sustainability for Cuyahoga County and Valerie Katz, Deputy Director of Sustainability for Cuyahoga County have also been appointed to serve as the County’s PCFO coordinators.
“Our partnership with Power a Clean Future Ohio will help us to deepen our sustainable initiatives. It will help promote economic development and encourage environmentally friendly efforts that secure a better future for our citizens,” said Foley.
Katz said, “The coalition of advocates and policy experts available through Power a Clean Future Ohio offer Cuyahoga County great support, tools and resources that will advance our sustainability goals, and I look forward to working with them. We also think we have an array of experiences, projects and ingenuity that can assist PCFO as it works with other communities.”
“Now more than ever, we need to create a prosperous and vibrant region for current and future residents. We’ve been working for years to build and strengthen our commitment to an environmentally-healthy County for residents through solar, microgrids, and transportation, and our participation in this initiative is a great step in our ongoing work to address the effects of climate change,” said County Executive Armond Budish.
Cuyahoga County has a history of successful projects to build upon. The Brooklyn Solar Project, a 4-milliwatt solar farm on a closed and capped landfill in Brooklyn, was awarded Solar Builder Magazine's 2018 Gold Project of the Year and is estimated to save $3 million on utility bills over the next 25 years. In September of 2021, County Council approved legislation to create the Cuyahoga County Utility (CCU), the first county-run utility in the country. The Utility’s first set of initiatives will involve the deployment of microgrids in targeted industrial sectors throughout the region. When the microgrids are built, CCU will provide local clean energy, high levels of resiliency, and affordable electricity for commercial customers. The department is seeking bids from developer operators and investors to construct the generation and distribution facilities with the support of Cuyahoga County and sell energy to individual commercial customers in specific regions.
Additionally, the Cuyahoga County Solar Co-Op consists of residents and small business owners interested in sustainable renewable energy. The Co-op–which is offered in partnership with Solar United Neighbors (a nonprofit solar advocacy group)–enables its members to save money on rooftop solar installations by negotiating below market rate group pricing. In addition to the existing 26% federal tax credit, co-op members generally save 15-20% off the cost of their system. Members also receive an education concerning all aspects of rooftop solar and vendor-neutral support throughout the entire process.
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.
Counties like Cuyahoga County 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.
View Cuyahoga County’s unique, innovative sustainability projects and initiatives at https://www.cuyahogacounty.us/sustainability/initiatives.