Rising energy costs are nothing short of frightening for many Ohioans as cooler fall temperatures will soon settle in. But assistance is available for some of the most vulnerable. The cost to heat homes with electricity, natural gas, propane and heating oil is expected to reach its highest level in a decade, averaging about $1,200 for the season.

Paul Billups, director of energy assistance at Step Forward, an anti-poverty agency in Cuyahoga County, said they connect eligible Ohioans to the Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps pay heating bills.

"Clients who have never reached out for assistance before are starting to come in, and we know this because they are not in our database. So we're seeing an influx
of new clients who've been hit hard by the recession and now they are having to reach out," he said.

Ohio also has a Winter Crisis Program, which begins Nov. 1, and provides one-time assistance for eligible Ohioans who are threatened with disconnection, have been disconnected from their utility service or have less than 25% of bulk fuel available.

Great Lakes Community Action Partnership Energy Assistance Manager Joyce McCauley-Benner said the Winter Crisis Program is crucial for people on limited incomes.

"This is a really important program, especially for those who don't have those regulated utilities, where you have the high-cost utilities," McCauley-Benner said. So propane, firewood, and in those non-regulated areas we really want to stress that there is help for you. Please come see us."

To qualify
for Home Energy Assistance Programs, income must be at or below 175% of the federal poverty guidelines. That's roughly $48,000 for a family of four. Billups said his agency has a great referral network for those who earn more.

"If for some reason we have to deny an applicant because they're over the income guidelines, we always give them all the information we have available at that time for other agencies that may be able to assist that may have a higher income threshold," Billups said.

McCauley-Benner also recommends that Ohioans check out the Percentage of Income Payment Plan, which can help manage energy bills year-round.

"It's based on your income and not based on your usage," she said. "If people are really concerned because they have limited income, we can screen them and see if they qualify for that payment plan because that will really help protect them for the rest of the winter."

Community Action Agencies throughout Ohio can help residents apply for energy assistance and other programs. Learn more at oacaa.org.

A proposal to allow utility-scale solar operations for Washington Township in Delaware County is meeting with some setbacks and one nonpartisan group thinks it is time for more discussion.

Almost 200,000 Indiana homes are powered by solar energy, but the Delaware County Commission issued a moratorium on solar development last year. It created a study committee for further review and then, the unexpected death of a commissioner delayed creation of a new ordinance.

Linda Hanson, spokesperson for the League of Women Voters of Muncie-Delaware County, said the community needs to use the city's resources economically and responsibly.

"We believe that natural resources should be managed as interrelated parts of life-supporting ecosystems," Hanson explained. "We need to conserve and protect those resources for future availability."

The League backs ending the moratorium and passing an ordinance to approve solar installations in the Muncie area, based on a responsible review of each proposal on its individual merits. Another hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.

Landowners in towns from Gaston to Matthews are voicing concerns about their property values potentially dropping if more solar farms are built. Some are also upset they were notified about a 2021 ordinance for another solar project, Meadow Forge, after it had been approved.

Hanson thinks the commissioners are leaning toward lifting the moratorium and allowing more solar development, with sufficient review.

"You try and look at how this can work responsibly, and that seems to be where we're getting pushback," Hanson observed. "When we track it, it seems to be coming from people who have investments in coal and petroleum."

Indiana is already home to the Mammoth Solar farm in Starke and Pulaski counties. The 13,000 acre facility is the country's largest. Built in 2021, the farm is expected to bring $1.5 billion in investment into the state over the next five years.


get more stories like this via email

New polling suggests most Americans support nationwide efforts to boost renewable energy capacity under the threat of climate change, and a local government leader from Wisconsin said municipalities are doing what they can, even with some challenges in their way.

The survey from the Pew Research Center found two-thirds of U.S. adults said America should prioritize developing sources such as wind and solar over fossil fuels.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said at the local level, elected officials are becoming increasingly aware climate threats are no longer just a "future scenario" to deal with.

"We have to prepare for the impacts that we know are here and are coming and we have to reduce our emissions so that they don't get worse in the future," Rhodes-Conway urged. "And we have to do both of those things at the same time."

The mayor offered those comments in a panel discussion led by the Center for American Progress. She acknowledged federal policies, such as the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, are helping cities fund climate-friendly projects. But she added most local governments, especially in smaller towns, still lack key staffing to help carry out the work.

Still, Rhodes-Conway pointed out federal policies are sending a lot of direct funding support to cities, which helps if there are potential legislative constraints in various states. She noted the infrastructure law is giving Madison more flexibility to gain steam on certain projects.

"[It's helping] both our John Nolen Drive bridges to be safer, more pedestrian- and bike-friendly with better stormwater management," Rhodes-Conway explained. "We also just built a new pedestrian and bike bridge over a critical intersection."

As for other hurdles to clear, the mayor argued there is still room for improvement in getting the word out to local residents and businesses about tax incentives to make their own clean energy investments. Lingering supply-chain issues are another factor municipalities face in trying to get more of these projects off the ground.


get more stories like this via email

New Mexico wants more residents to drive electric vehicles, and is hosting a series of meetings to explain its advanced clean cars and trucks rules.

State rules require automakers to deliver an increasing percentage of new zero-emission cars and light-duty trucks for sale each year. The new rules are meant to improve air quality by reducing ground-level ozone and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Mona Blaber, communications director for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, said adoption of the new rules through 2035 would provide $44 billion in economic benefits, including cost savings to drivers, and prevention of unnecessary deaths and health incidents.

"They're more affordable than people think," Blaber explained. "But we need these kinds of policies to keep bringing the price down, bring them to cost parity and make sure that all the infrastructure gets installed that we need."

The new rules would ensure by 2032, more than 80% of cars delivered to the state are electric, and a smaller percentage of medium- and heavy-duty trucks are electric by 2035. The first of three meetings to take public comment is today at Santa Fe's Southside Library.

Geographically, New Mexico is the fifth-largest state in the nation, with many rural roads. Blaber noted a $38 million network of charging stations will support electric vehicle owners.

"New Mexico is using federal money to install charging stations every 50 miles along both interstates," Blaber pointed out. "The next phase of that grant would be rural roads, and roads on the Navajo Nation."

She added the rules and substantial tax credits also encourage the purchase of plug-in hybrids capable of running 30 to 50 miles on a charge, before they switch to gas when the battery runs low.

"If you're going on a long road trip, you don't have to worry about making sure there's a charging station somewhere along the way," Blaber emphasize. "But most people hardly ever need to buy gas with a plug-in hybrid because most of your daily driving is less than 30 miles."

An online meeting about the rules is set for Oct. 4. A second in-person meeting will be held at Albuquerque's International District Library on Oct 16.