A bipartisan group of 32 US legislators, from across north-east Ohio, have sent a letter to the state’s authorities requesting a reconsideration of operating restrictions placed on the Icebreaker offshore wind project.
“As members of the Ohio General Assembly from Northeast Ohio, we write to object to the Ohio Power Siting Board’s recent order in the Icebreaker case.
“Unfortunately, the order includes a last minute poison pill provision that upended the agreement reached among Lake Erie Energy Development Corp (LEEDCo) and the technical staff of the board and the Ohio Department of Natural Resource,” said the letter.
The OPSB imposed a “shutdown condition” mandating the wind farm cease operations every night from March until November, which renders the Icebreaker Wind project financially unfeasible, said its developer LEEDCo.
It said the decision contradicted evidence presented in the case.
Senators Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) and Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland), together with Representatives Jeff Crossman (D-Parma) and Dave Greenspan (R-Westlake), have “championed” the bipartisan letter, LEEDCo said.
Together, the 32 legislators comprise almost a quarter of the entire General Assembly.
The letter said the legislators reviewed the facts in the case and that they are “puzzled” about the board’s ruling, also calling it “unusual”.
The legislators have asked Sam Randazzo, chairman of the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB), to approve the project in Lake Erie without the “onerous” conditions.
LEEDCo president Dave Karpinski thanked the 32 legislators for their support.
He said: “If there ever was a time that Ohio needed a renewable energy project of this magnitude and with this economic impact, it’s now.”
In June LEEDCo also asked the OSPB to reconsider its decision, saying it “stepped outside” its statutory authority and “violated” Ohio law.
LEEDCo has appealed to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to lend his support.
The letter written by the legislators said: “Our region of the state has patiently awaited approval of Icebreaker for over a decade.
“We believe the time is now for the Board to approve this innovative demonstration project without the onerous, over-reaching regulatory conditions and allow (Ohio) to reap the economic and environmental benefits.”