A theme emerged during the Northern Ohio Energy Management Conference in Akron yesterday wherein shale proponents repeatedly questioned Ohio’s need for state and federal renewable energy mandates now that the shale industry has taken off, The Plain Dealer reports. Several speakers remarked that such mandates distort competition and would not pass if put to a vote today because of the shale gas boom and the lackluster economy. Proponents of renewable energy maintained that energy efficiency is the “cheapest energy option” and that energy efficiency mandates create jobs, the article said. For more, read the full story here.