Greater KC Metro Chamber Partners with Local Officials to form Metro KC Climate Action Coalition

The Greater Kansas City Metro Chamber and partners

come together

to create a comprehensive plan

addressing climate change in the Kansas City area

The Metro KC Climate Action Coalition, formed in January, 2019, is a broad stakeholder coalition of elected officials, the Greater Kansas City Metro Chamber, and other local partners that came together to begin working on a comprehensive, local effort to address climate change in the surrounding Kansas City area.

The four priorities of the coalition are to:

• Draft a regional climate action plan

• Develop a state legislative platform for climate action

• Create a policy playbook for of solutions that can be implemented by municipal elected leaders

• Facilitate an annual Climate Action Summit

In December of 2019, the coalition released a Climate Action KC Playbook. This detailed policy and best practices manual highlights a broad scope of solutions for municipal governments to reduce greenhouse gasses. Strategies within the playbook include energy efficiency, clean energy implementation, recycling, transportation, and more. The Climate Action Playbook can be found here.

Additionally, approximately 500 people attended the coalition's inaugural Climate Action Summit held last March. The event focused on how individuals as well as area cities can do their part to improve quality of life via emissions reductions and take meaningful steps to mitigate climate change. The Greater KC Metro Chamber sponsored and moderated a panel discussion on The Business Case for Sustainability that featured panelists from several major employers in the region.

More about the coalition can be found here: 

More about the Summit can be found here.

Reno + Sparks Chambers Partners to Produce "City of Reno Sustainability and Climate Action Plan"

As a member of the City of Reno's Climate and Sustainability Committee, the Reno + Sparks Chamber worked with other committee members for more than a year to produce a 52 page plan which shows the city's commitment to develop, adopt and implement ambitious and measurable actions to reduce climate pollution. Well-focused initiatives on sustainability promise to strengthen Reno’s reputation as one of the nation’s leading cities.

The actions outlined in the plan will protect cornerstones of the Reno-area economy and provide for new economic opportunities and the creation of new jobs. Actions will also enhance the lives of residents every day — from more shade trees along city streets to walkable neighborhoods that create safety and a sense of community. 

"This comprehensive plan that includes strategies such as carbon-free neighborhoods, green building standards, transitioning to more clean energy, and climate resistance signals the city's dedication to being a world class city and will  certain open up more economic development for our community," said Ann Silver, CEO of the Reno + Sparks Chamber. "At the Chamber we realize the direct links between sustainability, quality of life, and the health of our economy"

Read the report here.

Massachusetts Chambers Encourage Federal Support for Vineyard Wind Project

Sixteen chamber CEOs and executive directors in Massachusetts recently sent a letter to Secretary Bernhardt at the U.S. Department of the Interior in support for Vineyard Wind, a development which was set to be America’s first major offshore wind project. The chambers sent the letter after an unexpected, last minute delay threatened the certainty of this development being built and urged the department to release the final Environmental Impact Statement for Vineyard Wind, as well as issue final permits so that construction can begin.  

The proposed $2.8 billion wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts is expected to create thousands of new jobs and generate approximately $17 million in new state and local tax revenues. “As the first major offshore wind development in the country, Vineyard Wind represents the unlocking of a massive economic driver for our region and beyond. The pursuit of locally sourced energy captured by locally built offshore wind facilities is among the largest economic opportunities ever for our region,” wrote the chamber executives.

About offshore wind: The U.S. has vast offshore wind energy generation potential with estimates that offshore wind could produce more than 2,000 gigawatts of electricity, more than double the nation’s current electricity use. States, particularly along the East Coast are looking to capture the economic benefits of this new industry while delivering clean and reliable electricity to their residents.

Read the letter here.

Read more about Vineyard Wind and the delay of the project

Why would six North Carolina Chambers of Commerce send an urgent letter to the State General Assembly?

Six North Carolina Chamber directors, representing hundreds of businesses in rural regions, emphasized in a letter to legislators that wind and solar energy projects deliver extraordinary economic benefits to their communities including new jobs, new tax revenues and landowner lease payments.

"Many of our communities have struggled to attract new jobs, business opportunities and major investments for decades. In recent years, however, we've welcomed new economic development opportunities and businesses, including wind and solar energy project developers, service providers, manufacturing companies, research and educational institutions, engineering, architects, construction firms and contractors, and other businesses engaged in the renewable energy sector."

Their primary request to legislators- support policies that allow the renewable industry to thrive in the northeastern part of North Carolina, thereby sending a clear signal to companies and investors that the state is open for business.

See the complete letter here. If you would like more information about North Carolina Chambers of Commerce and their interest in renewable energy, please contact susan@chambersforinnovation.com

SunEnergy1's Summit Farm Solar together with two other area solar farms in Currituck County, NC generate $225,244 annually in new, local tax revenue.

Amazon Wind Farm US East operated by Avangrid Renewables is now the largest taxpayer in both Pasquotank and Perquimans counties in NC bringing in $640,000 in annual tax revenue.

One of the country's top oil, gas and coal producing states embraces renewable energy.

States are not waiting for Washington D.C. to move forward to create the clean energy economy. Last month New Mexico became the 3rd state, after Hawaii and California, to pass a bill requiring all electricity from public utilities to come from renewable energy sources. The bill passed both the NM House and Senate, then the Governor signed the bill.

The New Mexico State Association of Commerce and Industry (NMACI) supported the legislation. Rob Black, President and CEO of NMACI understands the economic need to transition the state to renewable energy while also protecting the workers in one of the nation’s major coal plants which is slated to close by 2022.

“The business community worked closely on the bill with legislators, utilities, labor, and local communities to balance the challenges and opportunities for our energy producing state to catalyze economic growth so that New Mexico leads the country in the 21st Century,” said Black. “It is a strategic balancing act for our state and we are heading in the right direction.”

To compensate for the loss of coal revenue, the bill sends $40 million to regions expected to lose coal production while also requiring that significant renewable energy generating capacity be built there.

“Public Utility Company of New Mexico (PNM) is ready to do our part by investing in a renewable energy infrastructure and leading-edge technologies to put New Mexico at the forefront of the inevitable global transition to sustainable energy”, said PNM President Pat Vincent-Collawn.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham advocated for the legislation and signed it on March 22. After the bill passed the House, Gov. Lujan Grisham released the following statement: 

“When we were presented the chance to move toward cleaner sources of energy, we took it, boldly charting a course to a carbon-free future, permanently centering our commitment to lower emissions and setting an example for other states. Crucially, this legislation does not leave our neighbors in San Juan County behind, as we will provide millions for trainings and economic development.”

For more information see:

NM Sends 100% Renewable Energy Bill to Governor      

New Mexico 100% Renewable Energy

Wind Tour with Toledo Blade, Ohio Governor's Office, Local Chamber, County Officials and More

A perfect, windy day to see a turbine up-close at EDP Renewables Timber Roads II in Paulding County.

From the top:

Jerry Zielke, Paulding County Economic Development Inc. Director;

LuAnne Cook, Office of the Governor NW Regional Liaison;

Mikayla Pieper, Paulding Chamber of Commerce Executive Director;

Erin Bowser, EDP Renewables;

Susan Munroe, Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy.

How much can clean energy development grow a region's economy? Quite a lot, as a Toledo Blade newspaper reporter and the Ohio Governor's regional representative got to find out in a day-long tour earlier this month by the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy in partnership with the Paulding Chamber of Commerce, school district superintendents, and economic development officials.

The day-long tour spotlighted a region of Ohio where several wind farms are already constructed and have been operating for several years. It provided a close look at how economic activity from wind power reaches far beyond the boundaries of wind farms into businesses, school districts, local governments, and community philanthropies. The wind farms benefit communities throughout Ohio that are located along the wind supply chain.

One of the most intriguing stops during the tour for Toledo Blade Reporter, Tom Henry, was an up-close look at Vantage's Nacelle Wind Power Generator Simulator.

"One of the highlights of the visit there was an $80,000, micro-sized wind turbine simulator that could help train future operators, or at least whet their appetites for mechanical science and physics," says Henry. The technician training program is right on time - since one of the top new jobs in the county is a wind turbine technician with an average salary of $54.360 according to U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. 

Vantage Career Center offers a job training pathway for wind turbine technicians, a top job opportunity in the country with an average salary of $54,360

Another highlight of the tour included a visit to the new $4.5 million community center built by the Lincolnview School District with revenue from wind investments. Lincolnview is receiving $400,000 annually for 20 years from wind revenue. Superintendent Jeff  Snyder noted that these steady payments allow the school district to plan for the long-term and to fund ambitious projects like the community center.

Lincolnview School District Community Center; built with revenue from wind investments.

In between stops, the tour also highlighted businesses receiving spin-off economic activity from wind farm construction and maintenance--including a hotel, cement plan, auto dealership, trucking company, and more.

See the Toledo Blade story and video here. 

NC Legislators and Chambers Tour Key Manufacturing Facility. Could NC become a Hub for Offshore Wind Components?

Earlier this month, Josh Bass, President of the Currituck Chamber of Commerce, traveled from the far northeast corner of the state to Huntersville, NC, to tour the SAERTEX manufacturing facility and participate in a strategy session.  The SAERTEX facility leads the world in the production of the high-tech and light-weight materials used to produce turbine blades. 

The tour of the facility was followed by a strategy session with SAERTEX leaders, Representative John Bradford (R-Mecklenburg), federal officials, wind industry experts and the Huntersville Chamber of Commerce. The goal of the strategy session was to determine how best to attract large manufacturers involved in the offshore wind supply chain to Currituck County and North Carolina as a whole.

It is estimated that North Carolina would gain 5,500 jobs, $251 million in wages, and $710 million in economic benefit from offshore development. Landing a major manufacturer from the supply chain would be game-changing for any county.

Currently, the nation's only developed offshore commercial wind project is off the coast of Rhode Island. The technology is fairly new and there is no existing supply chain of American companies manufacturing these more advanced turbine components. Components for the RI project were imported from Europe.

"I enjoyed going and learning first-hand about the manufacturing process. I was amazed to learn that all components for off shore wind turbines are currently manufactured overseas. We would like to see a major manufacturing facility in North Carolina. Whoever is able to attract the offshore wind turbine plants will land hundreds of jobs in their community - and we need to be sure we don't miss this opportunity," said Josh Bass, Currituck Chamber of Commerce President & CEO. 

The Currituck Chamber has already seen the positive economic benefits that wind energy has provided to neighboring Perquimans and Pasquotank Counties, home to  Amazon Wind East, NC's first wind project. Amazon Wind East is the largest taxpayer in each of those counties, generating tens of millions of dollars for the local economy.

Chambers for Innovation and the SE Wind Coalition organized the above tour and strategy session.

See the article and video here 

New Bedford Chamber Hosts Dialogue on Growing Job Potential of Offshore Wind

In yet another example of how local chambers of commerce are at the forefront of identifying and seizing on the changing economic development opportunities in energy, the New Bedford Chamber of Commerce hosted an event last month about the new offshore wind industry.

It’s a big change from the days when New Bedford was a leading whaling center, with ships regularly setting out in search of both whales and energy. But it also clearly reflects changing winds of opportunity in energy today.

“We are excited by the job and investment growth that offshore wind development could offer to our member businesses and community,” said Rick Kidder, President and CEO of the 1,000-member New Bedford Chamber. “We also recognize that local chambers of commerce are the ideal places to host conversations about the new economic opportunities in clean energy and other dynamic industries.”

The event featured speakers from the New Bedford Economic Development Council, Eversource, the New Bedford Wind Energy Center, and others.

“New Bedford should absolutely be the national cluster for offshore wind” as a center of operations and workforce training, said Derek Santos, Executive Director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council. “There should be no reason why folks aren’t trained in New Bedford for projects all over the eastern coast of the United States.”

An estimated 60,000 people currently work in the offshore wind industry in Europe. In the United States, an estimated 43,000 jobs are expected by 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The first commercial offshore wind project began operations in 2016 off Block Island, Rhode Island.  New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia have approved offshore wind projects in development.  And Massachusetts, New York and Maryland have proposed offshore wind projects under consideration.

Dollars and Jobs from Wind, Solar, and Energy Efficiency

Peggy Emerson, Paulding Chamber

How exactly did your community and member businesses make so much money from wind energy?

That was the burning question one chamber executive asked another during a conversation at last week’s annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio.

The answer was simple: new investments, tax benefits, jobs — all of which translates to better roads, schools, and more, said Peggy Emerson, CEO of the Paulding Chamber in northwest Ohio.

But wind isn’t the only form of clean energy driving economic gains across Ohio.

Other local chamber leaders said they saw significant savings from the rise of solar energy while others investigated how to offer their member businesses access to energy efficiency. (Ohio ranks among the top ten in efficiency jobs nationwide.)

Michael Fraizer, Gov. Kasich’s Assistant Policy Director for the Environment, Energy, and Agriculture, also stopped by the conference, which attracted more than 100 chamber executives. Clean energy is a key part of Ohio’s efforts to be attractive location to major employers—from Amazon with its demands for wind energy to Dannon with its growing demand for solar.

Paulding’s Peggy Emerson went from table to table to share her story about the $200 million investment in wind energy that has been made in her community, where local farmers welcome turbines as a new “cash crop.”

Tom Bullock, CICE

And Tom Bullock, the new Ohio Coordinator for Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, briefed chamber leaders about the wide range of ways local chamber leaders are helping their member businesses take advantage of the growing economic opportunities in clean energy.

WATCH VIDEO of Peggy Emerson explaining how wind development has positively impacted her community here.

For more information, contact Tom@chambersforinnovation.com.

70 Carolina Chamber Leaders and Rep. Saine Discuss How to Seize the Clean Energy Opportunity

As a Republican policymaker and a father, North Carolina Rep. Jason Saine told 70 chamber leaders last month that he wants his state to take advantage of a clean energy opportunity almost as great as California’s. But it will need better energy policies to make that happen.

“Knowing what we have and can offer in terms of our economy, we’re really ripe and look a lot like California,” Rep. Saine said. “We’ve just got to make sure we can convince legislators that we need policies in place that will reflect that.”

Rep. Saine addressed the audience of chamber leaders from North and South Carolina at the annual conference of the Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Karen Brown, President and CEO of the Outer Banks Chamber, said her chamber recently took an official position in support of offshore wind energy. “We’re always looking for clean energy and clean ways of doing things,” she said.

Question-and-answer highlights

Q: “What if your community does not yet have wind or solar projects? How can a chamber start the conversation?”

A: “You need to make the business case,” said Rep. Saine. As companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook invest more in clean energy, talking about clean energy in terms of economic development makes sense, he said.

“But if we’re going to lure companies here, and we want to—we want to beat South Carolina because we both benefit from that competition—then we are going to have to adjust policies to accommodate that.”

Q: “How can a chamber maintain good relations with local power companies?”

“This is about incremental change,” said Maggie Clark, Southeast State Affairs Manager of SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association. “When you talk about it like that, I think utilities are most likely to accept that instead of a vast policy change.”

The panel, organized by Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, was moderated by Aaron Nelson, CEO and President of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber, and also featured Katharine Kollins, President of the Southeastern Wind Coalition.

Ohio’s “Heartland” Chamber Applauds New $300 Million Wind Project

When Amazon announced last month that it would build a second wind farm in northwest Ohio, Jon Cross, president and CEO of the Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance and Director of Economic Development, eloquently put the opportunity in perspective:

Big projects don’t “always have to happen in big cities,” Cross said. “They can happen in small communities like ours, courthouse communities that are an important engine of Ohio’s economy.”

The new wind farm, which is expected to become operational in late 2017, represents an estimated $300 million investment for Hardin County. It will also lead to a significant boost in local tax revenue for Hardin’s nine communities and its schools, said Cross.

“We’re waking up absolutely excited that Amazon will be indirectly a part of Hardin County.” – Jon Cross, president & CEO, Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance and Director of Economic Development.

Located 60 minutes from Columbus and Toledo, the Hardin County wind farm will be Amazon’s second in Ohio and fourth in the nation. Learn more in The Columbus Dispatch.

Amazon’s first is going up in nearby Paulding County, where the $175 to 200 million investment is also good news for the Paulding Chamber’s Executive Director Peggy Emerson.

Speaking in a recent video, Emerson said: “Paulding Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to celebrate all of the renewable energy projects that we have going on. These are great ways for us to develop the economic benefits locally, and not only in our county, but the counties around us as well.”

Neighboring Van Wert County has experienced similar successes with Iberdrola’s Blue Creek Wind Farm, which began operation in 2012 and delivers $2 million a year in new revenue for schools and a steady stream of income for farmers.

What Local Chambers Need to Know about Wind Energy in North Carolina

Ret. Navy Captain Leo Goff, PhD

Wind energy could soon be a $1 billion business for North Carolina, and the U.S. Military is fully behind it—recognizing renewable energy as good economics and critical to national security.

But a $300 million project planned in the northeast, and other future wind development, could be stalled if the Legislature again attempts to block it in 2017. And the potential military considerations driving opposition have been greatly overstated.

That was the upshot of yesterday’s briefing on wind energy for local chambers featuring State Rep. Chris Malone, Retired Navy Captain Leo Goff of the Military Advisory Board, and Katharine Kollins, President of the Southeastern Wind Coalition.

Co-hosted by the Edenton-Chowan Chamber and Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, the briefing made these three points clear:

1.  Wind energy is a big new economic opportunity. “What does wind energy mean to little Chowan County?” asked Win Dale, Executive Director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce, home to the state’s second planned wind farm, Timbermill Wind.

“It means increasing our revenue by $200,000 a year,” he said. In a place that struggles to maintain its tax base and provide jobs, that would make Apex Clean Energy the largest taxpayer in the county.

 North Carolina’s first wind farm, Amazon Wind Farm US East, is already under development in nearby Pasquotank and Perquimans counties, and will deliver more than $250,000 a year in tax revenue to each county. Farmers leasing land to the developer, AVANGRID, will earn $6,000 per turbine.

“Wind energy will easily be a billion dollar industry in next couple of years if North Carolina chooses to promote it.” – Katharine Kollins, Southeastern Wind Coalition

Rep. Chris Malone (R-35-Wake)

2. The NC Legislature has mixed views. “I feel very strongly that clean energy is the way of the future, and we need to do everything we can to make that happen,” Rep. Chris Malone (R) told chamber leaders. A growing number of Republicans, he added, recognize that wind development delivers jobs, economic opportunities, and energy.

But in June, a controversial piece of legislation (HB763, the Military Operations Protection Act) was introduced that could stop wind development and investment in the state on the grounds that it would necessary to protect military flight paths.

3.  The military supports wind development. “The U.S. Military is fully committed to renewable energy,” Retired Captain Leo Goff of the Military Advisory Board (MAB) told chamber leaders. “It’s pure national security and economics.”

Certain renewables, such as wind energy, do create challenges, he said. Towers, which can rise more than 200 feet, can create obstructions, for example; and blade rotation can cause interference with radar systems.

“But in my estimation and that of the MAB,” Goff said, “often times, those concerns are far overstated. Our military pilots are trained to fly higher than 200 feet. They do it all time.”

The U.S. Military also has a procedure for evaluating potential obstacles from wind farms before they are developed, and they have been able to resolve most of them.

“The challenges posed by renewables, wind most prevalently, can be overcome,” Goff said. “Wind and the military can cooperate easily.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown is expected to reintroduce the so-called Military Operations Protection Act in January.

Chamber CEO Peggy Emerson Speaks Out about Amazon Wind Farm

Ask Peggy Emerson, Executive Director of the Paulding Chamber of Commerce, what she thinks of the new Amazon wind farm going up in her county, and she’ll tell you:

“Paulding Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to celebrate all of the renewable energy projects that we have going on. These are great ways for us to develop the economic benefits locally, and not only in our county, but the counties around us as well.”

That’s how she put it in a video recently released by Amazon about the project that is now going up in Paulding County and expected to begin operations in May 2017.

Her enthusiasm about wind energy comes for a good reason: The Amazon Wind Farm is estimated to reflect an investment of $175 to $200 million a year in this small northwest Ohio community.

Said Paulding County Commissioner Roy Klopfenstein: “On a county level, we’ve been able to give our employees raises, the school systems have been able to add instructors, and after construction, I know of no township road that isn’t in better condition after they’ve left.”

Neighboring Van Wert County has experienced similar successes with Iberdrola’s Blue Creek Wind Farm, which began commercial operation in 2012 and delivers $2 million a year in new revenue for schools and a steady stream of income for farmers.

Van Wert Area Chamber CEO Susan Munroe has called wind a “cash crop” that reliably pays year after year.

Amazon is also planning wind farms in North Carolina and Indiana. Watch the video about the Paulding County project here: https://youtu.be/hoi4YTNBz1k.

PA Chambers Gather for Third Clean Energy Event

With Pennsylvania already having attracted $3.5 billion in clean energy investments—and committed to increasing renewable energy sales—it’s no wonder chamber executives and business leaders recently gathered for a third event in a year to learn about growing economic opportunities in this sector.

“This meeting was a good dialogue about renewable energy that needs to continue,” said Donna Siter, Executive Director of the Western Chester County Chamber.

More than 60 leaders from chambers, economic development agencies, and member businesses gathered to discuss the future of wind and solar energy at the Chester County Economic Development Council in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Highlights included:

• Pennsylvania aims to generate 10 percent of its electricity through solar, according to Hayley Book, Deputy Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

• Many financial incentives are available (from rebates and grants to tax credits) that can help PA businesses become more competitive through energy savings. Learn more here.

• With wind power costs having fallen about 66 percent since 2009, Pennsylvania has great potential for growth in this sector, which already supports an estimated 1,000 jobs in the state, said Abby Watson, Government Affairs and Communications Manager at the global wind energy organization, Gamesa.

The Smart Energy Initiative event was co-sponsored by Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, A Renewable America, and other organizations.

Pictured above: Nancy Kunkle, Smart Energy Initiative (SEI) Program Manager; Hayley Book, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Paul Speigel, Practical Energy Solutions and SEI Board Vice-Chair; Abby Watson, Gamesa and Women in Wind Energy; Steve Krug, Krug Architects and SEI Programming Committee Chair; Lisa Jacobson, Business Council for Sustainable Energy; Bill Ronayne, Delaware Valley Heating & Air Conditioning and SEI Board Chair. 

Ohio Chambers Talk Wind Energy During Capitol Visit

From a Columbus suburb (home to a new wind-powered Amazon data center) to the small village of Paulding (where a new wind farm will begin generating electricity in 2017) local chamber leaders trekked to Ohio’s capitol this month to tell Gov. Kasich and lawmakers how their communities have benefited from wind energy.

“For businesses, school districts, and taxpayers in rural communities like ours, wind power is an absolute blessing,” said Peggy Emerson, Executive Director of the Paulding Chamber of Commerce.

“Wind energy has been one of the biggest investments in Ohio and has the potential to contribute much more to Ohio’s future economic prosperity,” said Susan Munroe, President and CEO of the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce. “We want to work with legislators to encourage further investment and job growth created with wind energy development.”

To date, wind energy has resulted in investments of more than $775 million in Ohio. This new “cash crop” delivers significant tax benefits to schools and other institutions, income to landowners and local supply chain businesses while supporting county services in communities able to host these wind farms.

This was the second visit by local chamber leaders to the state’s capitol in the past year. In a related trend, a growing number of businesses have encouraged lawmakers to establish reasonable “setback” provisions, which determine how far a wind turbine must be situated from the nearest property line.

In 2014, the Ohio legislature tripled the required distance for turbines — resulting in a near moratorium on wind farm development and investment. Meanwhile, corporations such as Amazon have announced increased demand for wind energy to power data centers in the state. And the Toledo-based Owens Corning in 2015 signed the largest wind power purchase agreement by an industrial company in the world—but had to source wind energy from Texas.

Amazon Wireless Services, Panasonic, Apex Clean Energy, First Solar, and other businesses also sent a letter to Gov. Kasich this month encouraging more reasonable rules.

The local chamber leaders took a more personal approach, sharing their stories in meetings with the Governor’s Office; Speaker Cliff Rosenberger’s Office, a half-dozen representatives, including Rep. Shaffer, Chair of the House Public Utilities Commission; and Senators Cliff Hite and Jay Hottinger.

Pictured above from left to right: Susan Munroe, President & CEO, Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce; Former Ohio Rep. Jim Hoops; Eric Germann, President, Lincolnview Schools; Peggy Emerson, Executive Director, Paulding Chamber of Commerce; Brian Dicken, VP of Advocacy & Public Policy, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Clean Energy: A Hot Topic at Annual Ohio Chamber Conference

“Igniting Chambers for the Future” was the theme of the meeting of Chamber of Commerce Executives of Ohio last month—and clean energy was one hot topic.

Sen. Portman’s Office kicked off the lunchtime speakers by talking about the economic benefits of energy efficiency and the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act.

“This bill helps give employers more tools to save money,” Sen. Portman’s General Counsel Stephen White told chamber leaders. “It incentivizes private sector ideas while making the U.S. government adopt energy-saving measures.”

Chamber leaders also demonstrated interest in state policies that support clean energy development. When asked in an informal survey if they agreed with Gov. Kasich’s recent comment that it is “unacceptable” for Ohio to maintain a freeze on renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, 90 percent of chamber leaders said yes.

Table-to-table speed-meeting sessions followed in which Van Wert Chamber CEO Susan Munroe shared the many ways that wind energy has benefited her community.

“Wind development brings $7 million in new tax revenue—100 percent of which stays in Van Wert,” Munroe said. “Wind development brings $2 million a year to our schools, and $4 million cash crop to local farmers.”

On day two, leaders gathered for a special Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy session to learn more about the economic opportunities of clean energy.

“Energy efficiency has an immediate return on investment,” said Nicole Stika, Senior Director Energy Services for the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). “As soon as you flip the switch, you see savings.” COSE, part of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, offers programs to help chambers and members save on energy upgrades and costs.

More Chamber Leaders Support Wind Energy

Citing what some have called the “staggering” economic benefits of wind energy, a growing number of local chamber of commerce leaders across the nation have publicly support wind projects in their communities over the past year.

For example:
In South Carolina: Marc Jordan president and CEO of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau last week reported that an offshore wind development project in his community could result in $17 million in annual economic development and hundreds of new jobs.

“We can also begin to factor in utility costs that are projected to continue to rise over the next few years and into the future,” he wrote. “And as these monthly power bills increase and technology closes the gap on wind as a lower cost option, this form of renewable energy just makes sense.” (More.)

In Ohio: More than a dozen chamber presidents, economic development officials, and others signed a public statement in November supporting wind energy. They cited Iberdrola’s $600 million Blue Creek Wind Farm project that pays $2 million annually in local taxes and nearly as much in landowner lease payments. (Later this month, Apex Clean Energy is also expected to celebrate the ribbon-cutting on their development office for a $800-900 million Long Prairie Wind farm project in Van Wert.)

“We have seen wind energy deliver extraordinary economic benefits to several Ohio communities. We know more communities could benefit from wind energy,” they wrote. (More.)

And in Michigan, local chamber VP Chad Gainor from the windy “Thumb” region of the state urged policymakers to increase support of renewable energy business—and encouraged more chamber leaders to speak up for clean energy. In a letter to the editor published by The Huron Daily Tribuneand testimony to the state legislature, he wrote:

“Investing in efficient, renewable energy,” he wrote, “will build upon our manufacturing strength and skill, allow us to retool our factories, attract growing companies and jobs to Michigan, encourage innovation, and put Michigan workers back on the job.” (More.)

With the U.S. Department of Labor having recently forecast wind turbine technicians to be the fastest growing occupation in the country—and growing demand for renewables from major corporations—look for support from local chamber leaders to continue in the year ahead.

Wind Farm Tours in Caro, MI Drive Visitors

The Caro Chamber of Commerce says that its hometown of Caro, Michigan, has a “Norman Rockwell feel with modern amenities.” Among some of the most modern of those amenities are the turbines from nearby wind farms that are steadily transforming the region.

Those wind farms have also led to many questions from nearby residents, so many in fact that Brenda Caruthers, Executive Director of the Caro Chamber enthusiastically agreed when Consumers Energy, the state’s largest utility, proposed that the chamber host a series of tours of the new Crosswinds Energy Park that is nearing completion.

Caro is the second chamber in Michigan to help its community better understand wind farms through public tours. (The first chamber to host public tours – the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce in western Michigan— also partnered with Consumers Energy).

More than 300 people took the Caro tours. More than half of those people, Caruthers said, came to Caro specifically for the tours. “We’re a rural area,” she said. “We’re not a tourist area and that’s a huge number of visitors for us.”

The tours started at the chamber’s office – also a benefit for the chamber, Caruthers noted, because it can be difficult to get direct traffic to the chamber’s building – where a video about the wind farm was shown. A chamber member with a tour bus company then took the visitors to the wind farm, which has 62 turbines that will generate 105 megawatts of power enough to supply electricity for 31,000 homes.

For the first month, Caruthers personally greeted the wind farm visitors and, of course, took the tour herself. “Most of us had already seen the wind towers because they are so close to us,” she said. “But the size is so impressive. The plans that had to be developed and everything else that goes into these wind farms is just mind boggling to me and many others.”

The chamber also surveyed people returning from the tours, asking if their position on wind power had changed. More than 60 percent of respondents said they were more inclined to support wind generation. All in all, Caruthers said, the wind farm tours were a “very positive experience” for the chamber and for Consumers Energy, a major chamber member.

Local Michigan Chamber Scores Triple Success By Organizing Tours of New Wind Park

The Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce in Michigan has scored a rare triple victory: it helped launch and grow a new business that educates its community on an important economic development project while generating new tourism spending. And it has done so on the topic of energy generation, typically not a topic that draws crowds.

What is generating all this interest? Kathy Maclean, Executive Director of the Ludington chamber, reports that a new wind energy park has become an extraordinary tourist draw. Working with Consumers Energy, which opened the 56-turbine Lake Winds Energy Park in 2012, the chamber organized tours of the wind farm. The tours start at the chamber office, where visitors watch a 30-minute educational video about wind energy and the construction of wind farms. After the video, visitors take a one-hour bus tour of the 100 megawatt wind park in Michigan’s Mason County.

In 2012, when the tours began, Maclean says that demand was so strong that the chamber expanded the number of available seats but still ended up turning away visitors. The tours continued to be such a huge draw that eventually the chamber spun off the work to a local bus company and tour operator. Consumers Energy initially helped to underwrite the costs of the tours, but this year visitors are charged a nominal fee with no noticeable decrease in enthusiasm.

Maclean says the tours have generated tourism and commerce for the Ludington area and raised visibility for the wind farm. Her community is not alone; according to CleanEnergy.org, wind turbines across the country – and throughout the world — have become tourist attractions.

The Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber can be found online here. A website about the Lake Winds Energy Park is here. A short video from Consumers Energy about the construction of the energy park is here. The article from CleanEnergy.org about energy tourism can be found here.

Chamber CEO Positions City to Reap Huge Wind Energy Benefits

About five years ago, Marc Jordan, President and CEO of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, and his chamber colleagues began discussions about the economic potential of clean energy for South Carolina. Back then, he says, “people looked at us a little strange.” Today, with the expected announcement in his hometown of federal leases for new offshore wind farms, Jordan and his chamber colleagues find more and more people sitting up and taking notice.

Jordan brings an infectious enthusiasm to his community, particularly on the subject of wind energy. “We have an entrepreneurial business climate here in North Myrtle Beach,” Jordan said. “We’re encouraging businesses in the wind energy sector – from component part suppliers to research companies – to move to our community. We see clean energy as the best way to separate North Myrtle Beach from the competition.”

In 2010, the Chamber helped build a coalition of local wind energy champions with a plan to bring clean energy investment, jobs, innovation, and statewide recognition to the town. The effort paid off: North Myrtle Beach became the first place in South Carolina to host a grid-connected wind turbine.

And with the expected fall announcement of new offshore lease opportunities for wind, the Chamber will see a huge return on its early efforts to bring wind energy to South Carolina. Jordan believes that the wind turbines will stimulate construction and maintenance jobs and attract further investment to his town.

Jordan’s early efforts on wind energy earned him an appointment by Gov. Nikki R. Haley to a task force on renewable energy. The Chamber also helped to craft and win passage by the South Carolina legislature of a resolution recognizing the merits of wind as an alternative source of energy.

An article about the expected announcement of new federal leases can be found here.