Nationally, coal-fired power plants are responsible for approximately 20 percent of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions and they create significant air and water pollution.

Joyce supports efforts to reduce coal-burning pollution while promoting new approaches to meeting citizens’ power needs. With grantees from around the Great Lakes region, Joyce is working to advance energy efficiency policies at the local, state, and regional level.

The Ohio Environmental Council (OEC), a leading environmental policy advocacy organization, plays a key role in reducing dependence on coal energy in Ohio. Representing more than 100 member organizations with diverse constituencies and interests, OEC works to inform, unite, and empower Ohio citizens to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.

Recently, OEC helped to block the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Ohio that would have emitted millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. OEC has also worked to promote the adoption of new technology that would capture the carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants, as well as policies to boost energy efficiency throughout the state.

With a grant from Joyce, OEC hopes to build upon these recent successes. First, it will monitor Ohio’s utilities as they implement new state-mandated efficiency standards. If fully implemented, the new standards will help customers cut electricity demand by 22 percent by 2025.

In addition, OEC will continue its work to advance carbon capture and storage policies. The group recently developed a detailed set of recommendations on how states could regulate the capture and underground storage of carbon dioxide released from burning coal and they continue to engage and encourage state policy makers both in Ohio and across the nation to adopt these proposals. These recommendations will be published later this year in the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law.

“Through energy efficiency gains and by stopping conventional coal plants, a dramatic reduction of fossil fuel use is becoming a reality for Ohio,” says OEC’s executive director Keith Dimoff. “The work we are doing along with policy makers, utilities, and customers in this state will set a standard for other states to combat global warming.”

For more information on Joyce Foundation’s Environment program, please visit here.