Cogeneration Coalition formed to assist in the development of favorable public policy

Cogeneration Coalition formed to assist
in the development of favorable public policy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cleveland, Ohio (February 11, 2015) – In light of the issues being discussed by the Energy Mandates Study Committee in the Ohio General Assembly, General Electric (GE), IGS Energy (IGS), Energy Systems Group (ESG), and Hull & Associates (Hull) have formed a coalition in an effort to advance public policy initiatives to educate policy makers, offer solutions on ways to advance cogeneration, and encourage the development of cogeneration projects in Ohio.

Cogeneration, also referred to as Combined Heat and Power (CHP), is a power generation source located on the customer’s premises that uses natural gas as its fuel while capturing the resulting heat associated with the power generation and deploying it for the customer’s use.

“Ohio is home to over 15,000 GE employees,” coalition member Clifton Morehead of GE said. “This includes our Distributed Power business – which manufactures technology that is used for CHP Projects – headquartered in Cincinnati. We have a long history of providing CHP solutions to customers across the U.S. and are pleased to be a part of the discussion and process,” Morehead continued.

Greg Collins, president of ESG, added “CHP projects allow for localized power generation, resulting in increased grid reliability and reduced grid strain. Clearly, these projects offer a significant public benefit and should be encouraged as much as possible.”

“Our goal as a coalition is to work with members of the study committee in an effort to develop thoughtful policies that encourage CHP projects while at the same time working within the parameters clearly articulated by the General Assembly through prior energy policy deliberations,” said Matt White, General Counsel of IGS.

“The feedback we have received so far has been quite favorable. I don’t think there’s much question that CHP is good for Ohio. It’s how to overcome some of the financial and regulatory hurdles that are in place for these projects, and that’s where we think this coalition can add value to the process,” said Steve Giles of Hull.

The State and Local Affairs Practice at McDonald Hopkins LLC has been retained by coalition member ESG to work with coalition members and their representatives to coordinate all coalition activities.

About McDonald Hopkins
Founded in 1930, McDonald Hopkins’ mission is to provide insightful legal solutions and business counseling that help our clients strategically plan for an increasingly competitive future. McDonald Hopkins is a business advisory and advocacy law firm with locations in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Miami, and West Palm Beach. Our subsidiary, McDonald Hopkins Government Strategies LLC, is based in Washington, D.C. and led by former Congressman Steven LaTourette. McDonald Hopkins Government Strategies is not a law firm and does not provide legal services. For more information about McDonald Hopkins, visit mcdonaldhopkins.com.

###

CONTACT:
Deborah W. Kelm
McDonald Hopkins LLC
216.348.5733
dkelm@mcdonaldhopkins.com