Energy Leadership

Ohio Governor John Kasich has come to the table for energy companies, including Columbus-based AEP, at the IHS CERAWeek 2012, Energy and the Economy: Quest for Growth conference in Houston this week. He shared keynote remarks about hydraulic fracturing – fracking in shorthand – with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Hickenlooper, a democrat and geologist by trade, is an advocate for fracking, as is our governor. The two used the address to make the case for fracking, but doing it in a way that is both regulated and...

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Ohio Tops Texas

Ohio has taken back the Governor’s Cup, an annual ranking of state’s performance to attract or expand business, under the leadership of our governor and the JobsOhio team. Ohio’s 498 points beat out Texas (464), Pennsylvania (453), North Carolina (310) and Virginia (273) to round out the Top 5 states for Conway Data’s annual Governor’s Cup Award competition. Points are based on companies investing $1 million or more in a new or expanded facility, or hiring an additional 50 employees. According to the Columbus...

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JobsOhio Launches

Governor Kasich’s signature jobs program has been shovel-ready for some time. Yesterday, it passed the final stop gap before becoming law by securing the necessary contracts before the bipartisan Ohio Controlling Board. Controlling Board is an arm of the Office of Budget and Management, created to be the final probe into requests for government expenditure. As such, it is staffed evenly by representatives and senators from both sides of the aisle, and guarantees a measure of impartiality for matters of taxpayer moneys. As is their...

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JobsOhio Takes Winning Stride

Governor Kasich and his jobs czar, Mark Kvamme, have hit the ground running in 2012 on their JobsOhio agenda. During a press conference yesterday, details of the funding and reporting structure were unveiled, and the measure is set to go for a hearing before the Ohio Controlling Board next Monday, a crucial step toward becoming a reality. Under the new organization, Ohio liquor profits – an estimated $100 million per year – will flow to JobsOhio for the next 25 years. According to Mr. Kvamme, “a 25-year lease was...

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Romney Policies Sound for Ohio

According to the latest polling data, Ohio Republicans support Mitt Romney for the presidential nomination at a level of about 27%. The pollsters characterized his lead as “comfortable” but asserted that Mitt needs to keep gaining momentum. With Newt close at his heels, it’s no time to rest on laurels for the former Massachusetts Governor. With 36% of Ohio voters claiming that Mitt is the best-suited to handle the economy, this support should grown with time. Democracy is about choices – let’s make a good one this...

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Governor Focuses on Positive

John Kasich had quite an inaugural year as our Ohio’s 69th Governor. In meeting with the state house press corps in a news conference today, he proclaimed that we may “never see another one like it.” And he may be right. His activities to streamline state government, jump start the jobs picture, and get Ohio’s economy moving again are unprecedented. And they had to be. The budget problem was bigger than ever, and the national economy has scarcely improved since the 2008 real estate bubble burst. Our Governor has had to...

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