Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that he has certified the petition language for a proposed constitutional amendment that would require the state to commit more than $1 billion a year for renewable energy sources.
The Ohio Clean Energy Initiative amendment, submitted by “Yes for Ohio’s Energy Future,” would require the state to issue $1.3 billion in bonds each fiscal year through FY23. The money could be spent to support energy infrastructure related to solar, wind, biomass, battery technology and geothermal sources; research and development; and site and facility development for clean energy. The amendment would also commit $65 million in bond revenue to run the Ohio Energy Initiative Commission.
“Without passing upon the advisability of the approval or rejection of the measure to be referred, … I hereby certify that the summary is a fair and truthful statement of the proposed constitutional amendment,” DeWine stated in a letter to the petitioners.
The issue now heads to the Ohio Ballot Board, which will decide if it should appear as one or more ballot issues.
The petition group would need to collect 385,253 valid signatures before July 4 in order to qualify for the November 2012 ballot.Â