Bill to Freeze Ohio's Renewable Energy Standards: How They Voted

A few lawmakers crossed party lines when the Ohio Senate voted Thursday to advance a freeze on Ohio's renewable energy laws.

Senate Bill 310 freezes for two years a 2008 state law requiring utility companies to sell more electricity from renewable sources of energy and requires a committee to study the effects of the renewable energy standards.

The bill also allows companies to look outside of Ohio for more than 50 percent of the energy needed to meet those requirements and makes it easier for companies to opt out of energy efficiency programs.

State Renewable-Energy Laws Turn Out to be Incredibly Hard to Repeal

With Congress deadlocked, a huge chunk of the action on clean energy in the United States is happening at the state level. Some 29 states and Washington D.C. have renewable standards requiring utilities to get a chunk of their power from sources like wind or solar.

Over the past year, conservative groups have made a big push to try to repeal these laws, arguing that the mandates drive up electricity prices (since wind and solar can be pricier than coal or natural gas in many cases).