Our PRIORITIES

BUILD OHIO FIRST envisions an Ohio where affordable, reliable, and abundant energy serves as the foundation for economic growth, innovation, and opportunity. By 2035, Ohio should be recognized nationally as the premier destination for energy-intensive industries, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and next-generation technologies. Businesses should have confidence that power will be available when and where it is needed. Families should benefit from reliable service and affordable electricity. Communities should share in the economic opportunities created by new infrastructure and investment. Achieving that vision will require speed-to-power.

As states across the country struggle to meet rapidly growing electricity demand, Ohio has an opportunity to distinguish itself as the nation’s leader in deploying the energy infrastructure required for the future economy. BUILD OHIO FIRST believes Ohio must create a policy environment that allows critical energy infrastructure to move from concept to construction faster, more predictably, and more efficiently than anywhere else in America.

ohio’s energy competitiveness must focus on four priorities:

  • The greatest obstacle to energy development in Ohio is delay. Permitting uncertainty, fragmented authority, duplicative reviews, and outdated administrative systems slow investment, increase project costs, and create uncertainty for developers, regulators, communities, and consumers. Every unnecessary delay adds costs and ultimately weakens Ohio's competitive position.

    Ohio should establish the most efficient, transparent, and accountable infrastructure approval system in the nation. The states that build the fastest will attract the industries of the future. Ohio's infrastructure approval system should facilitate investment rather than create avoidable delay and cost.

  • Data centers, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence infrastructure, electrification, and industrial expansion are driving a rapid increase in energy demand and creating new pressures on the power grid. Meeting those needs will require a significant expansion of generation resources across multiple technologies and fuel sources.

    Powering Prosperity believes Ohio's economic future depends on its ability to produce more electricity. Ohio must ensure energy supply expands quickly enough to support future demand without sacrificing reliability or affordability. We support an all-of-the-above energy generation strategy focused on reliability, affordability, competition, and speed of deployment.

  • Generation alone cannot support economic growth if electricity cannot be delivered where it is needed. Transmission infrastructure represents one of the most important and often overlooked economic development assets in the modern economy.

    A stronger grid improves reliability, lowers congestion costs, enhances resilience, and increases the value of every generation resource connected to the system. Ohio's ability to attract future growth will depend in large part on the strength and flexibility of its electric grid.

  • Ohio's future economy will be increasingly powered by data centers, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, semiconductor production, logistics, and other energy-intensive industries. These industries represent enormous opportunities for investment, job creation, innovation, and economic growth.

    Policies should not constrain growth. Rather, economic growth should contribute to the infrastructure needed to support it. Ohio can welcome growth while protecting affordability, maintaining reliability, and ensuring infrastructure investments are made responsibly.

If Ohio embraces that challenge, by 2035 our state should strive to:

  • Become the Midwest’s most energy-abundant state.

  • Cut average permitting timelines by 50%.

  • Become a top-five state in the country for energy-intensive economic investment.

  • Ensure power availability is never a barrier to economic growth in Ohio.

  • Maintain electricity affordability below the national average.

  • Never waver from a commitment of 99.99999% reliability.

  • Become the leading Midwestern destination for advanced nuclear deployment.

By building more power, strengthening our infrastructure, and removing unnecessary barriers, Ohio can become the national model for growth, innovation, and opportunity.