Ohio Environmental Law Blog : Ohio Environmental Lawyer & Attorney : Joseph Koncelik : Frantz Ward Law Firm : Environmental Regulation, Land Use, Compliance : Cleveland, Ohio

A task force assigned to review the ASTM standard for Phase I environmental assessments has completed its review of the current standard.  It has sent its recommendations to U.S. EPA who is expected to accept the recommendations. 

Any revisions to the ASTM standard for Phase I has big implications.  Phase I reports are a requirement of the "All Appropriate Inquiries" process to establish CERCLA liability defenses.  Most property transactions involve a Phase I assessment.

As reported on the Schnapf LLC blog, the revised standard will likely include the following changes:

• definition of REC was tweaked to make it more understandable to environmental consultants;
• A new term “Controlled REC” (CREC) was added which is intended to complement the HREC term. The latter applies to prior RECs that have been remediated to unrestricted cleanup levels while CREC applies to risk-based cleanups that have ongoing institutional or engineering controls;
• creates a presumption that the environmental professional should perform a file review of agency records in determining the presence of a REC. If the environmental professional decides a file review is not required, it must explain why a file review was not performed;
• the revised legal appendix clarifies scope of the CERCLA indoor air exclusion from definition of release and also discusses other CERCLA exclusions;
• the revised legal appendix clarifies the role of that vapor intrusion in phase 1 reports (it is just like any other exposure pathway- (groundwater, air, soil). In most cases, there will be an underlying REC (contaminated groundwater or soil) that will already be a REC. However, there may be instances where there is an off-site source where there is potential for vapors to have laterally migrated through the soil gas to the subject property. In such an scenario, the potential for Vapor intrusion could be a REC. However, determining if the pathway is completed will usually beyond scope of the phase 1unless otherwise specified by the client;
• a new Business Environmental Risk (BER) appendix describes the BERs that are commonly encountered for commercial properties and discusses factors that may be considered in determining if a client wants to include BERs in the scope of the phase 1.

A couple comments on these potential changes:

1. REC Definition-  It will be interesting to see how the definition of REC is modified.   In my experience, there is a wide range of interpretations applied by environmental consultants.  Some will opine that any property that had industrial operations should be identified as a REC.  Others say there needs to be some information suggesting a release or at least the potential for a release to have occurred to be identified as a REC.
2. Vapor Intrusion-  Adding specificity that vapor intrusion issues should be identified as a REC will add to the complexity of analyzing Phase I reports.  With the clarification discussed, it may lead to the vapor intrusion pathway being identified as a REC in more Phase I reports.  This has big implications for due diligence because the vapor intrusion pathway is often the most difficult to assess in a subsequent Phase II.  It doesn't help that U.S. EPA still hasn't finalized its vapor intrusion guidance and relies upon 2002 OWSER vapor intrusion guidance still labeled draft.

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Often times businesses only worry about performing due diligence (Phase Is and Phase IIs) when they are purchasing a building, factory or land.  In my experience, many tenants never think about the fact that they could inherit liability for pre-existing contamination just by leasing property.  However, tenants, particularly those that are leasing industrial space, should be concerned and protect themselves accordingly. 

Now, U.S. EPA has created an even larger incentive for performing proper due diligence as a tenant.  On December 5, 2012, US EPA issued new guidance that expands liability protections for tenants that could be held liable for cleanup and remediation costs at leased properties.  

Quick Primer on Tenant Liability under CERLCA

The environmental statute that has the most broad reaching liability for pre-existing contamination  is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)- also known as Superfund.  Under CERCLA, any "owner" or "operator" can be held jointly and severally liable for cleanup costs at a site for even contamination that was present prior to their use or ownership of the property.

Tenants can be deemed an "owner" under CERCLA depending on the structure of the lease.  For example, they could be deemed a de facto owner if they have control over the entire property.

Tenants could also be held liable for pre-existing contamination as an "operator" if they store or generate hazardous substances on the leased property during the term of the lease.  There are varying tests for determining whether a tenant should be deemed an "operator" under CERCLA.  However, any tenant utilizing hazardous substances on a leased property should be aware that they could be deemed potentially liable for pre-existing contamination.

Tenants and the Bona Fide Purchaser Defense (BFPD)

In order to encourage re-use of brownfield properties, in 2002 Congress passed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.  As part of the Act, Congress created the "bona fide purchaser defense" (BFPD) which allows purchasers that conduct proper due diligence and follow other requirements  to purchase property with knowledge of hazardous substance contamination without incurring liability as an "owner" or "operator." 

However, when the law was passed in 2002 it did not provide the same opportunities to tenants to qualify for the BFPD.  The only way a tenant could qualify for the protection is if they were deemed an "owner" based upon the lease terms or if the owner already qualified for the BFPD.  Tenants under traditional lease arrangements with an owner that never qualified for the BFPD fell into a gap.  They simply couldn't qualify on their own for BFPD protections. 

Finally, in December 2012, EPA recognized there was a gap in potential liability protection for most tenants and it issued a new guidance allowing all tenants to qualify for the BFPD if they meet certain conditions, including:

1. Don't dispose of hazardous substances on the property;
2. Conducts proper due diligence (known as "All Appropriate Inquires");
3. Makes all legally required notices;
4. Takes "reasonable steps" regarding releases;
5. Cooperates with regulators;
6. Complies with any use restrictions or controls designed to protect against exposure to contamination;
7. Complies with administrative subpoenas and information requests; and
8. Is not potentially liable for response costs or affiliated with a person who is liable for response costs at the facility.

It is worth noting that this is only enforcement discretion guidance and not statutory liability protection.  This means that EPA could still file a suit against a tenant if it felt the circumstances justified such an action.

Tenants Should Consider the BFPD and Contract Provisions to Protect Themselves

Due to the large liability exposure associated with leasing property that may have had some history of use of hazardous substances, tenants should take steps to protect themselves.  First, perform due diligence prior to signing the lease.  Second, insist on contractual provisions that release and protect them from liability associated with pre-existing contamination. However, contract provisions still don't prevent regulators from suing you.  Therefore, as a third step tenants should evaluate are the benefits of the BFPD as another means of mitigating risk.

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On March 6th the Clean Ohio Council approved major changes to the Clean Ohio program.  The changes are now effective and will govern the remaining $15 million in funding that was set aside in the last budget. 

After the $15 million has been exhausted, JobsOhio has indicated it will launch a new $43 million per year brownfield redevelopment program.  No word yet on what the details of that program may look like, however, it is safe to assume that the more streamlined structure and emphasis on jobs will be key aspects of the JobsOhio program.

Here are the major changes approved by the Council on March 6th:

• Single incentive program- COAF and CORF Combined into one brownfield funding program:
• Streamlined application process-  Requests for funding are now initiated by submitting a letter of interest to JobsOhio regional network.  This is a positive development for CORF projects that required applicants to invest $20,00 or more to file the application without knowing whether they will be funded;
• All grants will be awarded on a rolling basis-  This replaces the CORF process of two rounds of funding with pools of applicants competing against one another.
• Cleanup grants remain capped at $3 million-  The proposal had been to reduce them to $1 million;
  
• Assessment grants are capped at $200,000-  compared to $300,000 under the old program.
• Expanded eligible infrastructure costs under the grant
• Eliminated the Redevelopment Ready Track- Grant applicants must have a committed end user of the property. 

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Last year the Kasich Administration announced that it was phasing out the Clean Ohio brownfield grant program.  The Clean Ohio program,which had been in existence for over a decade, had provided approximately $37.5 million per year in incentives for cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields. 

Last May, the Administration allocated a final $15 million toward traditional Clean Ohio programs for sampling and cleanup work.  JobsOhio took over administration of the program from the Ohio Department of Development.  (Click here for prior post discussing changes)

What has been somewhat unclear since the announcement regarding phase out of the Clean Ohio program is whether JobsOhio would replace it with a new brownfield incentive program.  As discussed in an article in the Crain's Cleveland Business magazine, it appears JobsOhio does plan on a sizable brownfield redevelopment incentive program to replace Clean Ohio.

About $43 million of the $100 million JobsOhio can spend annually for economic development programs will go toward revitalization projects, Mr. Minor said.

The planned allocation to land revitalization is a big change in the Kasich approach to economic development. The Kasich administration let the former program, Clean Ohio, die last year without assurances that it would be picked up by JobsOhio...

Clean Ohio offered communities as much as $3 million in loans or grants for remediation projects — a number JobsOhio might match, Mr. Minor said. But Mr. Minor said the new program will prefer to invest with companies that will occupy the cleaned-up properties.

What is clear from the comments of JobsOhio officials is that only projects that have a committed end-users after cleanup will qualify for the new brownfield incentives.  Also, the old scoring methods utilized by Clean Ohio will not longer be used to identify good projects.  JobsOhio will heavily emphasize the following factors in selecting projects:

• number of jobs the project retains;
• the number of jobs created; and
• investment in redevelopment of the property and/or equipment.

Clean Ohio Council to Meet

The Clean Ohio Council will meet tomorrow to discuss changes to its policies for awarding grants.  However, whatever changes are made will likely only govern the remaining $15 million in funding.  After that money is spent, JobsOhio will initiate its own program with its own procedures and methodologies for selecting projects. 

Regardless of whether you like some or all of the changes to the process for selecting projects, it is very good news that a strong brownfield incentive program will exist post-Clean Ohio.  In a state with a rebounding economy it is critical to attract redevelopment to properties that may have historical issues tied to Ohio's strong industrial history. 

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On Friday, the Clean Ohio Council met to discuss proposed changes to the Clean Ohio program. As discussed previously on this blog, the Kasich Administration has repeatedly discussed completely revamping brownfield funding in Ohio.  The Administration previously announced its intention to shift the program's administration to JobsOhio along with the liquor profits that were used to payoff the bonds that created Clean Ohio.  The Administration also has indicated it wants to shift from a grant based program to loans.

JobsOhio is currently caught up in a legal challenge to the constitutionality of the semi-public organization.  As a result of the legal challenge, the Administration has not provided any details as to what brownfield funding will look like under JobsOhio.

Back in May, it was announced that $15 million in new funding would be allocated to the Clean Ohio program as a stop gap measure until the dust settled on the JobsOhio litigation.  Clean Ohio funding has previously been at $37.5 million per year. Many believed that the $15 million would be allocated using the similar Clean Ohio process and procedures that have operated for nearly a decade.

On Friday, staff from the newly created Development Services Agency presented revised policies for new procedures to be utilized in awarding the $15 million in new funding. The proposal presented represents  a seismic shift in how funding decisions will be made.

Here is a quick synopsis of the major changes:

1. Major Reduction in Funding Available Per Project- The maximum available in funding for assessment grants was reduced from $300,000 down to $200,000.   The maximum available in clean up funding was reduced from $3 million to  $1 million;
2. Overhaul to the Grant Selection Process-  Previously, there were two grant rounds per year.  Grant applications received during a round competed against one another for funding.  The Clean Ohio Council utilized a scoring process to evaluate each grant application.  The scoring criteria was a mix of points based upon the proposed development, amount of clean up occurring and importance to the local community.  The new proposal would do away with grant rounds and the scoring process entirely.  Under the new system, the Director of Development Services would make awards on a rolling basis utilizing Agency discretion.
3. Premium on Job Creation-  While the application process is still somewhat murky because the forms have not been released, it appears from documents released Friday that the intention is to evaluate applications based on jobs almost exclusively.  The old scoring system provided placed higher value on clean up of highly contaminated sites as well as their importance to the local community. 
4. More Funding for Infrastructure-  The new proposal increases the percentage of the grant that can be spent on infrastructure versus environmental clean up from a maximum of 10% up to 25%.
5. Loans- While the policy changes incorporate the concept of loans, as it stands the new policy would retain the limitation that no more than 15% of funding shall be used for loans. (See, Section 6.02).  Therefore, the Administration, at least for now, wants to see the vast majority of funding in the form of grants versus loans

Concerns were expressed during the Clean Ohio Council meeting on Friday that there had not been any opportunity for the public to comment on the major restructuring of the program. In response, it was decided to allow a thirty day (30) public comment period on the policy changes. 

Click here to access the proposed changes to the Clean Ohio Fund Policies.  Instructions for submitting comments are also available on the web page.

Implications of the Policy Changes

It is pretty easy to acknowledge the Clean Ohio as we know will no longer exist if the proposed changes are adopted following the public comment period. The old program had two grant processes:

a) Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF)-  Allowed for up to $300,000 for assessment and $700,000 for clean up.  COAF applications could be submitted on a rolling basis and decisions were made exclusively by the Director of Development.

b) Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF)-  Allowed for up to $3 million in clean up funding.  There were typically two rounds per year.  Applications were submitted and competed against one another in each round.  The project applications were scored using a mix of points for development, environmental clean up and importance to the local community.

The proposal presented Friday essentially does away with CORF and moves exclusively to a COAF like approach.  The advantage of the new approach is the speed as to which funding decisions will be made.  However, the disadvantages to this approach are as follows:

• $1 Million Dollar Cap on Clean Up Grant Funding will mean Only Smaller Clean Up Projects will Get Funded-  The vast majority of the larger development projects involved $2 to $3 million in funding under the old CORF program.  By capping the available cap at $1 million, the larger brownfield redevelopment projects are far less likely to occur.  What could happen is that the only projects getting funded in future will be for asbestos abatement & demolition.  There simply won't be enough funds to deal with sites that have significant soil or groundwater contamination.
• No Competition Makes it More Difficult to Ensure the Limited Funds Go to the Best Projects-  Because all grant awards will be made on a rolling basis it will be much more difficult to compare and contrast projects.  No objective scoring criteria will be implemented and the public involvement in selecting projects will be greatly reduced.

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The Kasich Administration has decided that it wants to put the legal challenges to JobsOhio to rest once and for all. Through legal maneuvering the Administration has put the ultimate question- is JobsOhio constitutional- before the Ohio Supreme Court.  At issue is whether transfer of liquor profits to JobsOhio violates the Ohio Constitutional prohibition on providing credit/funding to a private corporation.

As discussed in the Columbus Dispatch, David Goodman, Director of the Department of Commerce, has refused to sign the Franchise and Transfer Agreement which would transfer Ohio's liquor distribution operations to JobsOhio.  Director Goodman's refusal was in reality a legal maneuver to allow the Ohio Supreme Court to hear the legal challenges to JobsOhio.

Though I personally question the validity of these constitutional challenges, I believe my oath of office to uphold the Ohio Constitution precludes me from executing the Franchise and Transfer Agreement until the Ohio Supreme Court is given an opportunity to address the merits of these claims,” Goodman wrote in a letter this week to Mark Kvamme, interim president and chief investment officer for JobsOhio.

Implications for Brownfield Redevelopment in Ohio

The Kasich Administration has made clear that their ultimate goal is for JobsOhio to take over most of the economic development activities from the former Ohio Department of Development.  Those responsibilities would include control over brownfield funding and redevelopment.

JobsOhio officials and the Kasich Administration have hinted that the future of Ohio brownfield funding will be much different than the $40 million per year that has been handed out as grants over the last decade through the Clean Ohio program.  The most controversial aspect of changes to funding is the Administration statements that brownfield redevelopment funding will be more heavily geared towards loans instead of grants.

While it is clear that the legal fight over the constitutionality of JobsOhio has delayed any announcement regarding Ohio's future brownfield programs.  The Kasich Administration's midterm budget (H.B. 487) set aside $15 million in funding.  The availability of this funding does not appear to be in any tied to the legal fight over JobsOhio.

Here is the language from H.B. 487 regarding the $15 million in funding:

SECTION 301.21. The items set forth in this section are hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the credit of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (Fund 7003) that are not otherwise appropriated.

Appropriations DEV DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AGENCY

C19500 Clean Ohio Revitalization $ 12,000,000

C19501 Clean Ohio Assistance $ 3,000,000

Total Development Services Agency $ 15,000,000

TOTAL Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund $ 15,000,000

The foregoing appropriation items C19500, Clean Ohio Revitalization, and C19501, Clean Ohio Assistance, shall be used in accordance with sections 122.65 to 122.658 of the Revised Code, and are subject to all provisions of Am. Sub. H.B. 482 of the 129th General Assembly that are generally applicable to such appropriations.

The budget language makes clear that the current Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) and Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) will be used to administer the $15 million in funding.  The language also seems to suggest that the current process for awarding grants under COAF and CORF will be utilized.

While H.B. 487 passed in May, the Administration has yet to announce when the $15 million in funding will be made available. The need for this funding is great.  New brownfield projects are not entering the pipeline due to the lack of assessment money. 
 

A Phase II environmental assessment answers the biggest question with regard to a property- how much will it cost to clean up and is redevelopment feasible.  Unless a property is just perfect for redevelopment, most companies and re-developers are unwilling to pay for the cost of a Phase II assessment out of their own pocket. 

COAF funding for Phase II environmental assessment ended last December.   Since that time no new funding opportunities at the State level have been presented.

While the shape of the State's brownfield funding may be uncertain until the JobsOhio fight is resolved, the $3 million in COAF funds could be made available immediately so we do not continue to lose momentum on brownfield redevelopment in the State.

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With regard to industrial properties and brownfields clean ups, perhaps no issue clean up standard has garnered more attention and increased scrutiny than indoor air.  It looks like 2012 could be the year when EPA finally updates its decade old draft guidance. 

EPA never finalized its 2002 draft guidance on assessing indoor air risks ("OSWER Draft Guidance for Evaluating the Vapor Intrusion to Indoor Air Pathway from Groundwater and Soils"). The lack of official guidance has left a regulatory void regarding clean up standards.  In 2009, the Inspector General sharply criticized EPA for failing to develop final guidance (IG Report).   EPA responded to the IG report by promising to finalize new vapor intrusion guidance by the fall of 2012.

What is vapor intrusion?

Chemicals in soil and groundwater can volatilize into the air and come up through basements and slabs into buildings.  For well over a decade, EPA has required clean up plans to include an assessment and evaluation of the risks posed by vapor intrusion into buildings.

The typical process for evaluating risk had been to plug soil and groundwater sampling data into a model ("Johnson & Ettinger Model") to predict indoor concentrations within existing and future structures at a site. If concentrations were too high in an existing building, EPA would require either additional clean up or a mitigation system (similar to a radon mitigation system) to reduce concentrations.  If concentrations were too high in soil and groundwater even where no current building existed, EPA could force deed restrictions to prevent future construction in those areas of the site.

Virtually all industrial and brownfield properties have the potential to present vapor intrusion risks including current and former manufacturing and chemical processing plants, warehouses, landfills, dry cleaners, and gas stations.

Why is new guidance on vapor intrusion such a big deal? 

EPA Release First New Guidance

In February 2012, U.S. EPA's Superfund division released a new document titled Superfund Vapor Intrusion FAQs.  The new document isn't the final guidance EPA promised in response to the IG report.  However, it does provide some insights into what the new guidance will look like once its released.

Using the answers to questions in the new FAQ, one can gain insights into the direction EPA likely to head with new final guidance on evaluating vapor intrusion, including the following:

• Evidence from sites since 2002 show that concentrations of pollutants in indoor air are difficult to predict by extrapolating from samples to modeling;
• EPA recommends modeling only as a way to potentially screen out a site and will be more appropriate for evaluating future buildings on-site;
• EPA will move to requiring more soil gas sampling and sub-slab sampling to determine vapor intrusion concentrations;
• More conservative assumptions are going to be built into the model which will make it much more likely a site will fail screening values (for example, EPA will incorporate an assumption that it is about 10 times more likely vapors will move into buildings from deep soil-gas;
• New screening values will be developed; and
• At CERCLA and other regulatory sites, EPA is more likely to require community involvement in sites where vapor intrusion is being studied.

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The picture is still very murky with regard to what brownfield funding will look like in Ohio.   The program is being transferred from the Ohio Department of Development to JobsOhio.  The Kasich Administration has stated it believes the program needs to be overhauled.  (Click here for prior post regarding transfer to JobsOhio) 

Only sketchy details have emerged as to what brownfield funding may look like after the transfer.  Comments from JobsOhio officials have suggested the grant model will be tossed in favor of loans.  This has local officials from around the state voicing concerns regarding such a radical change to what has been viewed as a very successful program.

Articles have appeared in newspapers around the State discussing local official concerns over changes to the Clean Ohio program.  Below is a synopsis of recent articles.

Middletown

On Monday, the Middletown Journal had a lengthy story discussing the potential impact on the City's efforts to address multiple brownfields.  The title of the article captures the concern among City officials "Middletown Clean Up Efforts May Reduce with State Change."  The concern expressed, which I have echoed in prior posts as wells, is that JobsOhio will be moving away from grants and more toward loans.

Middletown’s acting Economic Development Director Denise Hamet said there will be fewer applications in a year to clean up brownfields — which are defined as industrial properties that are either vacant or underutilized with environmental contamination to prevent reuse or redevelopment — if a loan policy is in place.

“I think you wouldn’t have a lot of projects penciled out if you have to repay remedial work because that’s above and beyond doing the normal work,” Hamet said. “It’s hard to get projects to pencil out beyond normal construction costs.”

Hamilton Economic Development Director Jody Gunderson agreed and said grants reduce risks.

“That’s why the grant system has worked so well,” he said. “You’re mitigating risk for property owners and the city when you bring in grant dollars.”

Cleveland

In an article from February 13th in Crain's Cleveland Business, titled Leaders fear stalled brownfield clean up cash, local official expressed concern regarding the lack of assessment money as well as a shift to loans from grants.

Tracey Nichols, Cleveland's director of economic development, fears the state under new rules will reject applications that can't identify a specific new property owner with plans to clean up and redevelop a property. The city often has used Clean Ohio money to clean up properties without committed end users so that the properties would be ready for use when prospective buyers or developers come along.

“Most companies aren't going to say, "I love that site and I'll wait two or three years until you're done cleaning it up,'” Ms. Nichols said.

Akron

On March 28th, the Akron Beacon Journal also had an article discussing the uncertainty around future brownfield funding.  I was interviewed for the story and discussed that the uncertainty means potential projects are in limbo until details emerge. 

The article was titled Future of Ohio Clean Up Program is Uncertain. The ABJ pointed out the tremendous benefit the City of Akron has received from the program. 

Over the years, the city of Akron got about $16 million in brownfield money from the Clean Ohio Fund. That includes grants for the Goodyear redevelopment, Bridgestone America headquarters, Canal Place, the Middlebury grocery store, the old Beech Street power plant and the Landmark Building.

The brownfield program has been in limbo for some time in Columbus with the change. The state earlier stopped accepting applications. The program is to be reactivated July 1.

Dayton

On March 5th, the Dayton Daily News ran a story titled "Fund Change May Hurt Ohio Development."  The lengthy article detailed the number of projects in the Dayton area that would not have moved forward without Clean Ohio brownfield funding.  Local officials and developers also expressed serious concern with moving from a grant to a loan based program.

Downs said the cost of evaluating and rehabilitating old industrial sites would be too high for the city and most developers if Clean Ohio were a loan program.

“A loan program is certainly less attractive to us than what exists right now,” he said. “We couldn’t take advantage of it like we have the existing program.”
 

Toledo

A series of letters to the Editor in the Toledo Blade have pointed out the strong benefit the Clean Ohio program has had in the Toledo area. 

• Since its creation in 2000, public and not-for-profit conservation groups across the state have used the program to protect more than 26,000 acres of natural areas and 20,000 acres of farmland from development.- Steve Madewell is executive director of Metroparks of the Toledo Area. (click here for April 22nd letter)
• Black Swamp Conservancy has been a regular participant in the farmland preservation program. Our land trust has helped farm families bring millions of dollars to our region's economy. The conservancy has helped protect more than 7,000 acres of northwest Ohio farm ground -- prime soil that always will be used for agriculture.-Kevin Joyce, Executive Director Black Swamp Conservancy Perrysburg (Click here for April 26th letter)
  

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Details were released this week by the Kasich Administration on the establishment of its privatized economic development agency known as JobsOhio.  Many of the traditional job creation duties that fell to the Ohio Department of Development will be shifted to JobsOhio. 

Along with the restructuring of development duties, the Administration is shifting the State's liquor profits to help fund the Agency.  Last year the liquor profits took in around $700 million in revenue to the State.  In return for a 25 year agreement to fund JobsOhio with liquor profits, JobsOhio will make a one-time $1.4 billion dollar payment back to the State.  Details of how those funds would be utilized were discussed in the Plain Dealer:

The $1.4 billion agreement calls for Ohio to collect $500 million for its general revenue fund, money already factored into the current state biennial budget, $750 million to pay off existing liquor revenue backed bonds, and $150 million to continue "Clean Ohio" environmental programs for the next three years.

The reference in the Plain Dealer Article regarding Clean Ohio is a bit confusing.  Based upon an article in Columbus Business First, the $150 million is set aside to pay for the grants that were awarded or will be awarded by July 1, 2012.  In the future, funding will be set at $43 million per year.

The agreement, which will be reviewed and possibly voted on Jan. 30 by the state Controlling Board, includes a provision for the $43 million for economic revitalization projects as well as $150 million to cover Clean Ohio Fund projects approved by the state before July 1, 2012.

Impact on Clean Ohio

The transformation of the Ohio Department of Development and creation of JobsOhio has resulted in tremendous uncertainty regarding  the State's $50 million dollar per year brownfield redevelopment program. 

This fall, when the Administration made the announcement that liquor profits would be shifted, the Administration said it would look for a new revenue source to support Clean Ohio.  It now appears that the same revenue-a portion of liquor profits- will be used to support the program for the next three years. 

What remains uncertain is when that money will be available.  Currently, the Ohio Department of Development announced the end of funding for the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) which pays for Phase II environmental assessment on brownfields.  Also, the Department announced the current round of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) would be its last. Now that the funding source has been announced, the question is when will the State start accepting grant applications again?

Due to the fact the $150 million is being allocated pay for COAF and CORF grants in the pipeline and the last round of CORF, it appears no new funding will be available for Phase II work prior to July 1st.

Who Will Administer Clean Ohio in the Future?

What also remains uncertain is whether the current process for grant selection and administration will remain.  During yesterday's announcement, the Administration indicated that the current process will remain in place through the summer.  However, the Kasich Administration also suggested that legislation could be introduced this Spring to modify the program. 

What the Administration did make clear is that they want to see more direct economic development benefits for use of Clean Ohio funds in the future.  This means it is unlikely grants such as the Redevelopment Ready track of the Clean Ohio program will continue. 

The Redevelopment Ready track provided grants up to $2 million to clean brownfields that were primed for development based on their location but lacked a specific end use (i.e. development project).  Some argued that the Redevelopment Ready Track allowed areas outside Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati to better compete for the grant money. 

While this week's announcement seemed to answer the question as to whether funding will remain in place for Clean Ohio in the near future, there remains three major questions:

1. When will the grant process open up again:
2. Who will administer the program- the newly created Ohio Development Services Agency or JobsOhio; and
3. What will the grant application and selection process look like in the future?

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Yesterday, the Ohio Department of Develop put the following notice on the Clean Ohio Fund webpage:

NOTICE

Effective immediately: The Clean Ohio Assistance Fund is no longer accepting applications. If you have a project and would like to discuss other funding opportunities please contact us.

Back in October, Governor Kasich announced that he was redirecting the funding for the Clean Ohio program to his JobsOhio economic development program.  Funding would remain for one additional round of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund which provides up to $3 million in clean up grants for brownfield redevelopment.. 

In addition, funding for the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) was thought to last through June 2012.  However when the announcement was made that funding was shifted to JobsOhio it cast doubt on the future of the Clean Ohio program.  As a result, the Department of Development was flooded with COAF applications in December.  No one wanted to risk missing what could the last of the Clean Ohio funding. 

Due to the rush of applications, all available funding was already allocated in December for the COAF program.  Several projects that were also seeking funding were told they were too late.

With the last round of CORF this month and the announcement ODOD is no longer accepting applications for the COAF program, the Clean Ohio program in Ohio is effectively closed.  This announcement is disappointing since the program was one of the most successful in the country in spurring revitalization of brownfield properties. 

In November, the Governor's spokesperson indicated the Administration was looking to find new revenue to continue the program.  No such funding has been identified to date.  The prospects for finding new revenue must be very uncertain because the Department is not even allowing developers to submit applications to form a line when funding does come available. 

Signs point that the Country and State's economy may slowly be turning the corner. If that is indeed the case, It would be nice to have the tools in place to direct new development to abandoned sites and contaminated properties which populate Ohio's urban core.

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The Clean Ohio Council awarded half the available funds for brownfield redevelopment for fiscal year 2012 two weeks ago.  As discussed in prior posts, available funding is running out in the next few months.

The future of State brownfield funding became uncertain when the Kasich Administration shifted funding from the state's liquor profits to JobsOhio.  I was interviewed for an article appearing in Gongwer last week discussing the future of the program.   It is clear from the article that the Administration is trying to replace the liquor profits with different funding to continue brownfield grants beyond fiscal year 2012. 

Ms. Sabatino said the administration has indicated the program will continue, although it has yet to identify an alternative source of funding. "I know they're actively working on it as we speak," she said.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols added, "Helping put brownfields back to work to create jobs is valuable and something Ohio will continue to do. As we transition from state-run job growth efforts to efforts run by the private-sector experts at JobsOhio, we're evaluating these programs to make sure we have the right
tools to serve job creators and to make sure taxpayers are getting a good return on their investment."...

The revitalization program provides reimbursements to communities working to clean up brownfield sites, and interest in the program has been high, DOD Community Services Division Chief William Murdock said. "There's more demand than there is supply, and that's a really good sign," he said.

Mr. Koncelik said, however, the few projects that were denied funding in this round could multiply should the future financial source be smaller than the previous one.
"A new revenue source may dramatically cut down the available funding, and won't have as robust a program, not as many projects will happen," he said, adding it could be half a dozen or more projects that are rejected in future rounds.

I am glad to see the future of the program is starting to get coverage in various publications.  It is an important public policy issue that deserves such coverage.

(Gongwer article provided with permission of publisher)

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Current Debate Regarding the Future of the Clean Ohio Program

The Kasich Administration has announced that it is re-evaluating the Clean Ohio program.  The next round of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Program (Round 12) will be the last.  Also, funding under the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund, which pays for sampling on brownfield properties, is likely to run out as soon as February 2012.

It appears the Administration is discussing other funding sources that may allow the program to continue.  (See Clean Ohio Funding End 2012....What Next?)  Last week, an article in Crain's Cleveland discussed the potential end of the program:

Ohio Department of Development spokeswoman Katie Sabatino said the state considers these successful programs, but is evaluating its options for assisting with the redevelopment of brownfield sites. Of the Clean Ohio Fund in particular, she said, “The Ohio Department of Development is working with the (Kasich) administration to chart a path to assist with brownfield issues....."

“It was supposed to end June 2014, but word out of Columbus is it will end sooner,” said one observer who asked not to be identified because he's shepherding brownfield projects still under review. “I'm very concerned about them pulling the rug out from under us.”

 In the article, it states that the Administration may be interested in moving towards loans instead of grants. 

In addition, Mark Kvamme, chief investment officer of JobsOhio, is said to prefer loans over grants, according to a half-dozen economic development professionals who work with the state's programs. He was not available last week for comment.

A similar change is under way at the Third Frontier Commission, which runs loan and grant programs for technology companies. Crain's reported in June that Mr. Kvamme was behind recommendations the commission is adopting to move to loans from grants.

Advocates of the change say loans not only stretch the reach of public funds, but also cause applicants to be more discerning about what they propose when they're on the hook to pay the money back.

Loans versus Grants

The problem with loans is that the require the developer or company considering a brownfield to pay for the entire cost of investigation or clean up.  Total clean up costs can range from $500,000 to $5 million or more.  This is the cost just to clean up the land, not the overall development costs. 

If developers and companies are required to utilize their own funding to pay for all the clean up and investigation costs, most will look to greenfield sites instead of re-utilizing urban properties that have pre-existing contamination.  Heavy industrial properties will simply sit idle unless the value of their location is so great it outweighs the clean up costs.  This is an unlikely scenario for the vast majority of brownfield sites.

Ohio already has a brownfield loan program that almost no one is currently utilizing- Ohio Water Development Authority's Brownfield Loan Program.  Under the OWDA program you can obtain a low interest loan for sampling (up to $500,000) or clean up ($5 million).  Despite the fact more sites are eligible for OWDA's program than Clean Ohio, OWDA has had trouble attracting interest in the program.

Under the grant program, applicants still have "skin in the game."  Under the Clean Ohio program, applicants are required to provide a 25% match.  Paying 1/4 of the clean up costs makes many for brownfield sites attractive to development. 

Future of Clean Ohio

Funding had been available for Clean Ohio to continue until July 2013.  However, as discussed in the Crain's Article funding has been shifted to other priorities. 

Word is the Kasich Administration is looking for a funding source to continue a brownfield redevelopment program.  The Administration may also be overhauling the program. Let's hope that what ever emerges provides a real opportunity for our urban core to attract development.

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Last Friday, I attended the Clean Ohio Council meeting with my client Miceli Dairy Products, Inc. (Miceli Dairy).  I had worked with Miceli Dairy over the last couple years on evaluating five parcels of property adjacent to their current facility on which the Dairy would like to expand its operations. 

The Dairy submitted an application to receive approximately $3 million in grant funds to assist with demolition, clean up and installation of infrastructure on the brownfield parcels.  The Dairy's application was competing with fourteen (14) other brownfield redevelopment projects from around the State. 

The fourteen projects were in competition for the available funding.  Each project is scored using various factors such as how much contamination is being cleaned up, number of jobs, etc.  In the end, the Miceli application was the number one project in the State and the Council voted to fund the application.  (Click here for press release from the Clean Ohio Council)

Miceli Dairy's expansion is a great story. Did you know that Miceli is the largest ricotta cheese manufacturer in the U.S.?  The Company has a wonderful Cleveland history that is best described in the Plain Dealer story profiling the Dairy's expansion plans. 

However, without the Clean Ohio program the expansion may never happened in the City of Cleveland.

Why the Project Wouldn't Have Worked without Clean Ohio

During the Clean Ohio Council meeting several comments were made the the Miceli project was one of the most complicated to every go through the program.  Here were some of the issues that complicated use of the brownfield parcels for expansion:

• Two businesses operated on the parcels- a drum reclamation facility and plating operation;
• Both businesses were the subject of environmental enforcement actions by the Ohio Attorney General's Office;
• No environmental sampling has been performed prior to the project so it was impossible to know the levels of contamination present;
• Liens were on the properties that exceeded $1 million dollars;
• Hazardous waste units and drums were located on the parcels that needed to be cleaned and that work is ineligible for Clean Ohio funding;
• Buildings in poor condition were located on site that made it difficult to obtain samples; and
• Large debris piles were across the site.

All of these issues had to be addressed for the project to move forward.  It is clear that without funding through Clean Ohio the costs of sampling and clean up alone would have prevented expansion onto these parcels.  Without funding it was quite possible Miceli may have been forced to look outside Cleveland to expand its operations.

(Map:  From Cleveland Plain Dealer Article cited above)

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In Ohio, the clean up program of choice for brownfields and industrial sites currently used is the Voluntary Action Program (VAP).  The program is designed to give a tremendous amount of flexibility to property owners and companies in terms of the nature and extent of clean up performed on their property. 

Instead of the traditional "dig and haul" method of cleaning up soil contamination or "pump and treat" contaminated groundwater, the VAP allows the use of both engineering controls and use restrictions.  Both can dramatically lower clean up costs. 

Engineering controls are barriers that prevent exposure to humans or the environment such as parking lots or buildings.  Use restrictions are deed restrictions (i.e. Environmental Covenants) that may prevent development in areas of high soil contamination, prohibit use of groundwater or restrict development to industrial/commercial use.

As long as the owner demonstrates the property meets VAP standards, Ohio EPA will issue a legal release ("covenant not to sue") which states no further clean up is needed. This legal release benefits both the current owner and is transferable to future owners of the property.

Clean Up for Anticipated Future Development

In planning a clean up, it is critical to understand up-front program requirements to obtain you legal release.  Under the VAP, a critical requirement is that the owner must implement some form of remedy for all exposure pathways which exceed VAP standards.  An "exposure pathway" can be any way a human may be exposed to unacceptable levels of contamination. 

Example of Exposure Pathway (Vapor Intrusion)- The most problematic exposure pathway is often vapor intrusion into buildings.  Vapors from soil or groundwater contamination can pass through building floors and expose the inhabitants to, what is deemed, unacceptable human health risks. 

Under the VAP rules, current and "reasonably anticipated" exposure pathways must be addressed through a remedy.  The remedy can be clean up of soil contamination, groundwater treatment, engineering controls or use restrictions. 

While the VAP program has been in existence for nearly 17 years, Ohio EPA continues to struggle with how to address anticipated development under the program.  The VAP requires the future use of the property must continue to be in compliance with VAP standards. 

How do you make that demonstration with regards to future development?

VAP calls future development "reasonably anticipated pathways."  Such a pathway would exist if a developer knows a building will be constructed on the site in the future in an area of the property that has contamination. 

The VAP rules requires that property owners to demonstrate inhabitants of that future building would not be exposed to unacceptable levels of contaminants.  If the area of construction will result in potential exposure above VAP standards, the owner must implement some type of remedy to address that exposure.

Ohio EPA released this week a VAP guidance document designed to assist in evaluating potential exposure pathways- "Reasonably Anticipated Complete Exposure Pathways"

Included in the guidance document is the following statement:

Because development plans are not always known in detail, the identification of a reasonably anticipated exposure pathway for potential development is not always easily done.

That is a gross understatement...even following the EPA guidance.  The VAP rules force the developer or property owner to make judgment regarding the potential size, location and configuration of future buildings.  These crucial development decisions can have dramatic implications for the amount of clean up needed at the site.

What Happens if Development Plans are Uncertain?

Site conditions at brownfields and other industrial properties can vary dramatically.  At some sites the issues of contamination remaining on-site in conjunction with future development can be  balanced.  At other sites, developers can be forced to make decisions regarding the extent of clean up prematurely.

In its second guidance document EPA tries to provide an administrative remedy to balancing the need for completing the VAP and avoiding expensive clean up before development plans are certain.  Ohio EPA suggests carefully crafted environmental covenants can be utilized to satisfy VAP rules, obtain your legal release and provide flexibility for future development.

The guidance is titled "Conducting Remedies in the VAP for Complete and Reasonably Anticipated to be Complete Pathways."

Conclusion

Both guidance documents are highly complex.  While the documents provide some level of flexibility to balance development with clean up, it is clearly a complex balancing act that developers must evaluate early in the process.

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Rumors abound that the Kasich Administration is seriously considering totally overhauling the Clean Ohio brownfield grant program.  Multiple sources have indicated that the Administration is discussing internally making the next round of Clean Ohio the last for the program in its current form.

During the transportation engineers conference in Columbus, Governor Kasich made remarks that Clean Ohio would be reconstituted.  He said the program needs to improve upon providing funding projects that have the best opportunity to either create or retain jobs.

Back in April I wrote a post titled Clean Ohio Ends 2013....What Next?  In that post I discussed that the Department of Development was planning on four rounds for the competitive Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF):

• Round 11 in November 2011 (applications have already been submitted)
• Round 12 in Award in July 2012 (applications due in January or February)
• Round 13 in November 2012
• Round 14 in July 2013

In addition, to the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) would receive new funding in July 2012 which would provide assessment (Phase II) funding through July 13.

The Kasich Administration may be planning on scrapping Rounds 13 and 14 and making Round 12 the final round.  If this happens it will make the final round highly competitive with many cities trying to cram projects in at the last opportunity. 

What Next?

There are no details that have been released publicly as to how the remaining funds (Rounds 13 and 14) may be used.  One possibility discussed was the Administration would proactively target sites rather than allow developers to join with cities in filing applications.  Another possibility would be to do away with the Redevelopment Ready and Sustainability Reinvestment tracks that do not require immediate development or jobs.

Its hard to comment on the merits of a new program when details have not been released.  However, there is no doubt the Clean Ohio program is extremely popular with all the cities as well as developers.  The program has been the key to allowing redevelopment on a number of highly contaminated and complex sites that would have otherwise sat idle.  In Ohio, where brownfields are too numerous, the COAF and CORF grants literally forced development onto underutilized or vacant properties. 

Because Clean Ohio was passed by the voters, it seems impossible for the Administration to redirect the money to other programs than brownfields.  However, the Administration does have the latitude to completely reshape the process for how sites get selected for funding. 

We will have to watch to see how it unfolds.  Regardless, it looks rather certain Clean Ohio as we know it will not look the same after the January Round. 

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In working on brownfield redevelopment projects, I find that addressing old underground storage tanks (USTs) or hazardous waste (RCRA) units can be one of the trickiest issues to address.

Why are these two issues tricky? Because they complicate the clean up process under Ohio's Voluntary Action Program (VAP). 

Due to the flexibility under the VAP and the fact it provides for more cost effective clean up options than other regulatory  programs, the VAP program is a common way to address environmental liabilities at brownfield sites.  In addition, Ohio's premier brownfield grant program- Clean Ohio- requires the grantee to complete a VAP clean up as part of the grant agreement. 

How do USTs and RCRA issues complicate the VAP and Clean Ohio process?

• Areas where USTs or RCRA units are located are ineligible for a VAP clean up until they are certified closed by the proper regulator
• Clean Ohio grant programs will not pay for clean up of USTs regulated by the State Fire Marshal Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulation (BUSTR)
• Clean Ohio grant programs significantly restrict the ability to uses funds to pay for hazardous waste unit (RCRA) closures

Understanding a Projects UST and RCRA Risks

Due to these limitations, property developers and companies need to front load in their analysis of a site's redevelopment potential the property's BUSTR and RCRA issues.  It is essential that a full blown examination of any outstanding UST and RCRA closure be performed as part of the Phase I/Phase II environmental assessment process. 

Key questions relatives to USTs include:

1. Are there BUSTR regulated USTs remaining on site?
2. Were BUSTR regulated USTs that were removed from the site properly closed in accordance with applicable regulations (i.e. did BUSTR issue a "No Further Action" letter)?
3. If "No Further Action" (NFAs) letters do not exist for tanks removed, what does BUSTR consider is needed to properly issue such a certification?
4. What will the costs be associated with receiving a NFA for each tank?
5. How will the process to obtain an NFA impact the timing of your redevelopment project?

Key question for RCRA units on-site can include:

1. What is the closure status of the RCRA unit?
2. What is the size of the unit?
3. What type of sampling is needed to determine the clean up requirements for the unit?
4. What will Ohio EPA require in terms of clean up for that unit?

USTs and RCRA issue do not impose a total barrier to development.  However, it is absolutely essential that in industrial property transactions and brownfield redevelopment projects that you gain a thorough understanding of the outstanding RCRA and UST obligations.

(Photo: Missouri Department of Natural Resources)

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The contractual language appearing in purchase or lease agreements for industrial property is critical.  I have seen a number of contracts that were fraught with vague terms or even silent on liability allocation.  Those contracts now define the company's liability exposure.   Protections the company thought they may have are either non-existent or in question.  

That is why it is so important to pay very careful attention to the environmental provisions in the contract for sale or lease of property.  Particularly important are the representations, indemnity and release provisions.  On an industrial property with a legacy of environmental issues, these provisions can often be the most difficult to negotiate because they shape liability risks for years to come. 

A recent federal court ruling provides further proof of the importance of paying careful attention to contract provisions allocating environmental liability.   The Court in United States v. ARG Corporation, Case No. 10-3111 (N.D. Ind. 2011) dismissed a complaint filed by the seller which sought to recover $841,000 in response costs incurred by U.S. EPA in performing clean up activities at the former industrial site.  In dismissing the complaint, the Court found that the purchase contract contained a clear allocation of environmental liability.  In essence, the purchaser avoided nearly $1 million in clean up costs based on the contractual provisions it negotiated prior to purchase.

The contract language at issue stated as follows:

The Seller shall remain solely financially responsible for the Remediation Activities arising from the Seller’s ownership, use or operation of the property prior to the Closing Date, provided however, that the Purchaser covenants not to execute against the Seller’s assets to satisfy the Seller’s financial responsibilities for remediation of pre-closing environmental damage except for the proceeds of recoveries under the general liability policies issued to the seller prior to closing.

The Purchaser shall be solely financially responsible for the Remediation Activities arising from the Purchaser’s ownership, use or operation of the property after the Closing Date.

"Remediation Activities" shall mean investigation and remediation activities, including but not limited to installing, operating, and maintaining all monitoring wells; collecting soil and/or groundwater samples; measuring groundwater levels in measuring wells; soil removal; groundwater treatment; and performing other related assessment activities, necessary to investigate and remediate environmental damage caused by the release of hazardous substances in accordance with any environmental laws.

The Court held that

"this language unambiguously states that ARG is solely responsible for remediating hazardous substances on the property arising from ARG’s ownership, use, or operation prior to the closing...South Bend is solely responsible for remediating hazardous substances on the property arising from South Bend's ownership, use, or operation after the closing date.

The Court also held that if South Bend believes ARG is responsible for cleaning up pre-closing hazardous substances, it will only seek recovery from ARG's insurance policies.  The court found the contract did not indicate South Bend would indemnify ARG if ARG was forced to pay the Government for remediating hazardous substances.

This case is a good example of the benefits of clear contractual language when allocating environmental liabilities.  Due to the high costs involved with clean up, there is a strong incentive for the party on the losing end to put forth creative interpretations of the language in an attempt to pass on or mitigate their liability.   Clear and unambiguous terms can be your best defense in such an instance.

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As of July 1st, the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) has been injected with new funding.  Below is the update recently sent out by the Ohio Department of Development.

I have heard that the 25% set aside for clean up projects has already been accounted for fifteen days into July.  Obviously, there must have been projects in the que that took up that funding immediately.

Remember, a key difference from the way the COAF has operated over nearly the last decade is that COAF will require 10% match on all clean up projects. 

Also, check out the revised Priority Investment Map to see if your project would qualify for COAF.

Clean Ohio Assistance Fund Update

Additional $10M for the COAF program is now available (effective July 1, 2011). The majority of funding, 75%, will be utilized for projects requesting $300,000 or less. This includes both assessment and cleanup projects. The remaining 25% of funding will be set aside for cleanup projects requesting more than $300,000. Additionally, all cleanup applications are required to provide 10% matching funds. Application documents have been revised and are available online. Be sure to download the new version – COAF Application.

The Priority Investment Area map has been updated for the July 2011 – December 2011 term. To be eligible for the COAF program, projects must be located within an area designated on the Priority Investment Area map.

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Are you performing a Voluntary Action Program Clean Up?

Are you cleaning up contamination for a release from a petroleum underground storage tank (BUSTR)?

If you answered yes to either of these questions you may qualify for a significant federal tax incentive which allows you to deduct the clean up costs incurred this year as well as years past. Under the tax incentive, certain environmental cleanup costs at targeted sites may be fully deducted by eligible taxpayers in the year in which they are incurred, rather than having to be capitalized and spread over a period of years.  

What types of expenses could be deductible?

• Site assessment and investigation;
• Site monitoring;
• Cleanup costs;
• Operation and maintenance costs;
• State voluntary cleanup program oversight fees; and
• Removal of demolition debris.

Amended Returns to Capture Costs Spent in Previous Years

Even if you incurred such expenses in years past, but failed to take advantage of the tax incentive you may still be entitled to the deduction.   The excerpt below is from the U.S. EPA tax guide describing the potential to amend prior year returns:

"The Brownfields Tax Incentive is not frequently used, despite its great potential to support property cleanup and reuse. A key reason for the limited use of the incentive may be uncertainty over its availability over an extended period of time. The tax provision has never had long-term authorization and Congress allowed the provision to lapse five times since it was first introduced in 1997. However, retroactive reauthorizations allowed coverage to be available throughout the entire time period from the incentive’s introduction in 1997 until today. In December 2010, the incentive was reauthorized for two years and is retroactive to January 1, 2010. The incentive will remain in effect through December 31, 2011.

Site owners may want to consult their state program or a tax attorney to determine activities that may be considered qualified expenditures. If a taxpayer decides to claim the incentive in future years because cleanup was completed during one of the periods in which the incentive’s authority lapsed, an amended tax return can be filed up to three years after the original return was filed. An amended tax return must be filed within two years if a refund is sought.

Requirements to Qualify for the Tax Incentive

1. Ownership- The property must be owned by the taxpayer incurring the eligible cleanup expenses, and be used in a trade or business or for the production of income.
2. Contamination- Hazardous substances or petroleum contamination must be present or potentially present on the property.
3. Brownfield Property- Taxpayers must obtain a statement from a designated state agency (typically, the state’s environmental agency overseeing the state’s voluntary cleanup program (VCP)) that confirms the site is a brownfield and therefore eligible for the tax incentive. Participation in a state VCP satisfies this requirement.  In Ohio, the VCP is known as the Voluntary Action Program (VAP).

U.S. EPA Resources on Available Federal Tax Incentives

The federal tax incentive for clean up of brownfield properties is not the only tax incentive that may be available for brownfield redevelopment projects.  U.S. EPA has released its 2011 Tax Guide which summarizes a variety of tax incentives for various brownfield and renewable energy projects.  Possible tax incentives include:

• Brownfield Expensing Tax Incentive:
• New Markets Tax Credits
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit
• Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit:
• Energy Efficiency Tax Credits:
• Renewable Energy Tax Credits

U.S. EPA Brownfield's Tax Incentive Web Page also contains additional resources which describe various tax incentives for brownfield clean up and revitalization.

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The State has announced the latest modifications to the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) policies which provides up to $300,000 for Phase II environmental assessments and up to $750,000 for brownfield clean up.  The State released its COAF policy update last month.

Unlike the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF), COAF grants are given out on a rolling basis as long as the State had money during the funding cycle. COAF has traditionally been used to obtain funding for Phase II assessments on brownfields.  The use of the COAF for clean up has been less frequent due to limited funding available and the larger clean up grants available under CORF (up to $3 million). 

The changes to the COAF program this time include:

Asbestos- 

The policy now explicitly states that abatement of asbestos are eligible clean up costs.  See, 3.06

Matching Funds- 

For the first time, the State is requiring a 10% match for use of COAF for clean up grants.  This means for a max clean up grant, the applicant will need to supply $75,000 toward clean up. While its understandable the State wants to see the applicant have some "skin in the game,"  the no-match component of COAF was one element that made it more attractive than CORF. 

Another issue is that the policy says the match must be spent by the "project approval date."  The policies don't define this term, but it would appear to be the date the Controlling Board approves the issuance of the grant.  This timing seems odd in that applicants would need to spend the 10% before they knew for sure they were getting the grant.

Jobs Commitment-

Perhaps even a larger change than the 10% match, is the requirement that COAF clean ups for industrial or commercial use must generate or retain at least 10 jobs.  See 6.09  Not every project has a job component at the get go. 

The State previously recognized that some brownfields may not have redevelopment committed but are located in prime locations for future development.  This is why for the CORF the State created the "Redevelopment Ready Track."  Perhaps the limited amount of COAF clean up funds available is driving the State to use the money only for projects that have a job component.

No Longer a "First Come/First Serve" Program-

In the e-mail to interested parties providing notice of the changes to the COAF policies, the Ohio Department of Development also stated the following:

"During the month of July, cleanup applications will be reviewed and approved based on project merits rather than a first come/first serve basis."

While the indication is projects will be evaluated on their merits, there were no other changes to the policies which shed light as to how they will be evaluated on their merits.  Unlike the CORF application process there is no defined scoring methodology for projects.  This statement from ODOD can probably only be interpreted to mean the Director retains discretion to reject your clean up project as not worthy of COAF funding. 

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The Ohio Department of Development working with the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) has released their policies for use of the revamped low interest brownfield loan program.  Under the program, private companies (among others) can get a low interest loan up to $500,000 for performing sampling (assessment) and up to $5 million for clean up.

As discussed in my prior post announcing changes to the loan program, the single biggest change is that the loan program now allows companies that own contaminated property and caused or contributed to the contamination to qualify for the program.  Any company that caused or contributed to contamination is not directly eligible for Clean Ohio funding.

Here are some key requirements that are spelled out in the new policies governing the program.

• Clean Up Loans- Must already have done all the assessment and have designed a remedy to qualify for a clean up loan. 
• Redevelopment Requirement?-  The ODOD website says the project must involve redevelopment for the property to be qualify for the loan.  Therefore, it would appear an existing company with no expansion plans cannot qualify for the loan if they simply want to address historical contamination issues on property they own.  As discussed below, the actual wording of the policy may provide greater flexibility.
• Eligible Costs- assessment, demolition, remediation and consultant costs
• Payment Term- below market interest rate over a 10 year term

Biggest Disappointment

The most disappointing aspect of the policies governing the new loan program is the requirement for redevelopment of the property.   The loan program will have a very limited appeal to only existing companies responsible for historical contamination wishing to expand. 

However, the actual wording of the policy says projects are eligible "where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by known or potential releases of hazardous substances.”  This is far more open ended that requiring a demonstration actual expansion or redevelopment will occur.

Hopefully, ODOD and OWDA will allow a more expansive interpretation of this language. Why not give the benefit of the low interest loan to companies who simply want to address historical contamination on their property?  Certainly the State could justify rewarding these "volunteers" because the policy explicitly make clear any company that is under a legal mandate (order or permit requirement) to clean their property is ineligible. 

 Policy 1.03 CERCLA Limitation for Eligible Borrowers:

Policy 1.03- Borrowers must be exempt from Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended CERCLA liability for hazardous substance cleanup applications.

I don't know what "exempt from CERCLA" really means.  Is this a reference to Bona Fide Purchaser defense?  There are very few exemptions from CERCLA for companies responsible for existing contamination.  Policy 1.03 could use further clarification.

Will There Be Interest?

Whle the greater flexibility provided by the new policies make the program more attractive, it will be interesting to see whether it garners any interest.  Even with the changes, the program will appeal to a small subset of companies looking to address historical contamination.  Any other party that has no responsibliity for contamination has a far better option under the Clean Ohio program.

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In 2000, Ohio originally voted to approve the Clean Ohio Fund as a $400 million dollar bond program. In 2008, the Clean Ohio Fund was reauthorized through a ballot initiative known as Issue 2. The ballot initiative was overwhelmingly approved in all 88 counties which extended the Fund with another $400 million dollars.

Clean Ohio is probably the most successful brownfield redevelopment program in the Country.  Approximately $400 million of the $800 million in funding went to brownfield projects in the last twelve years.  Here is an outdated chart from the Clean Ohio Fund Report which shows the number of projects and dollars used for brownfield revitalization just in the first four rounds of the program. 

Since the first four rounds that State has gone to two rounds per year.  We are now up to Round number 10. 

The Clean Ohio Fund Interactive Map provides the location and project information for over 1,200 projects financed through the Clean Ohio Fund, representing over $627 million in awards to date.

Four Rounds Left After July 

Round 10 is in July.  Then there is enough funding for Round 11-2 (Round 12 will be May 2012).  That is not a lot more opportunities to use the program if you have a project that you think would be a good match for Clean Ohio funding.  It takes around 6-8 months to get a project ready for a Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) project.  Which means projects for Round 10 are basically getting ready to be finalized and Round 11 projects are already being discussed.

Will Clean Ohio Continue?

The Clean Ohio program has been wildly successful.  Funding projects across the State.  Many significant development projects simply would not have happened with out the grant funds available through the program. 

While perhaps a little premature, its time to start planning another ballot initiative if suporters are going to seek to renew the program.  Governor Kasich has not been asked his opinion as to whether the program should continue.  While the program is funded through bonds it still takes state revenue to retire those bonds.  With an $8 billion budget hole and a difficult budget process, the challenges facing renewal have never been greater.

What Happens if Clean Ohio is Not Renewed?

The major source of assistance in Ohio to spur brownfield redevelopment will disappear.  There are other federal and local programs, but none with the resources and successful track record like Clean Ohio.  Unfortunately, if the program is not renewed, many brownfield sites with significant contamination will simply be avoided.  New development will be pushed out to greenfields and perhaps away from our urban core.

With the number of brownfield sites remaining in the State, the need for the program remains as strong as it was in 2000.

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In 1994, the State created the Voluntary Action Program (VAP) to promote voluntary clean up of industrial and commercial sites, including those currently utilized as well as brownfields.

By 1994 standards the VAP program was cutting edge.  It utilized certified professionals (CPs) who performed the investigation and implemented clean ups to meet standards established by Ohio EPA.  In this sense it was a privatized program.  Letting the company or developer ("volunteer") control the clean up process.

By allowing CPs to direct the clean ups to meet standards, costs would be reduced comparative to other clean up programs.  Rather than having sampling plans reviewed back and forth, the CP had to meet the rule.  Rather than debating appropriate remedies in documents back and forth, the CP designed the remedy and it was acceptable as long as it met VAP standards. 

There are many positive elements of the VAP program seventeen years later.  However, a look at just the numbers raises the question as to whether its enough or whether other programs need to be developed to get ahead of Ohio's growing brownfield problem. 

Here are the VAP statistics presented by Ohio EPA this winter: 

• 422 No Further Action Letters ("NFAs") have been issued by CPs-  A NFA is the document that details the clean up meets VAP standards. 
• 386 requests for Covenants not to Sue ("CNS")- There is no requirement that a volunteer h submit the NFA to Ohio EPA in order to obtain a CNS (the legal release)
• 18 denied CNSs
• 25 Withdrawn
• 29 pending review 
• 314 CNSs have been Issued

To summarize, to Ohio EPA's knowledge 422 NFAs have been issued by CPs in the seventeen (17) years the program has been in operation.  I say "to Ohio EPA's knowledge" because there is no requirement that you even disclose to Ohio EPA that an NFA was prepared.  In fact, many companies elect to simply obtain an NFA an never pursue the CNS from Ohio EPA due to the added administrative costs.

In seventeen (17) years, 314 sites have received a CNS, meaning Ohio EPA has verified the site meets VAP standards and issued a legal release. 

Brownfields-  Ohio Needs More Tools in its Tool Box

Focusing on brownfields, VAP is the only State tool to remove environmental legal liability with contaminated properties. (Click here for discussion of gaps in federal "AAI Rule")  To only have 314 sites addressed in 17 years has to raise the question whether we need other tools than VAP to address these sites in order to get ahead of a growing inventory of brownfield properties.

For comparison, a 1996 study identified approximately 350 brownfields and 1,000, to 2,000 condemned structures in Cleveland.  I can't imagine these number improved following the recent recession.

If you broaden out to Cuyahoga County, the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission found that 40,000 acres, or 14%, of the County’s land, has at some time been devoted to an industry that has historically been known to be a higher risk for environmental contamination.

Those are staggering figures - 314 VAP sites in 17 years versus an estimated 350 sites in Cleveland alone.  This represents only one city and one county in Ohio.  Just looking at the statistics suggests the VAP alone isn't  enough to encourage reuse of brownfields sites in the State.

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Phase I environmental assessments have become the norm in virtually any commercial or industrial property transaction.  Almost any financial institution will require a Phase I report prior to agreeing to finance a transaction.  

In this regard, Phase I's have become a commodity- A box that needs to checked off before a deal can go through.  But buyer beware, beyond securing your financing you may not truly know the condition of your property.  Or even worse, you may not secure the legal protections from environmental liability you intended by procuring your Phase I.

A recent U.S. EPA study evaluated the quality of 35 Phase I reports that were performed on brownfields in connection with federal grant funding.  The Phase I reports were evaluated against basic requirements necessary to secure protections under the "All Appropriate Inquiries Rules (AAI)" (a shield from CERCLA liability for innocent purchasers).

"All Appropriate Inquiries"

Under federal law, in order to establish a shield from liability under CERCLA, a purchaser must, prior to the date of acquisition, perform "all appropriate inquiries" into ownership and uses of the property.  In 2005, U.S. EPA finalized its rule establishing mandatory standards for conducting AAI to secure liability protection.

IG Evaluates 35 Phase I's

In the study, the Inspector General evaluated the 35 Phase I reports to see if they met the required elements of the AAI rule.  Not one of the reports met the U.S. EPA required elements (or alternative ASTM standard).  Worse yet, the missing components were simply formalistic elements necessary for a Phase I to meet U.S. EPA standards.  They did not evaluate the professional judgments in the reports which would be more prone to varying opinion.  Aspects evaluated included:

1. Environmental Professional Qualification Statement- U.S. EPA AAI rule requires a boiler plate statement to be included in the report that the consultant meets the standards to be considered an environmental professional. 
2. Signature-  The environmental professional who responsible for the assessment must sign the report. 
3. Data Gaps-  The professional must identify any data gaps that may have impacted their ability to identify whether conditions at the property indicate a release or potential release occurred at the site.
4. Opinion Statement-  The report must include a conclusion section that summarizes all "recognized environmental conditions" at the property.  Any areas where there were conditions identified on the property which indicate a release or potential release occurred.

In the opinion of the Inspector General, not a single one of the 35 reports evaluated adhered to all of the requirements set forth above. 

The report is another example of the risks associated with hiring an environmental consultant to perform a Phase I.  From my discussions banks don't often evaluate the quality of the consultant or even whether the report meets the ASTM or EPA rule requirements. 

What are the risks to the future property owners in the transaction?  The Inspector General summarized the risks as follows:

Improper AAI investigations introduce risk that the environmental conditions of a property have not been properly or adequately assessed. Consequently, decisions about appropriate uses of redeveloped or reused brownfields properties may be based on improper assessments. Ultimately, threats to human health and the environment could go unrecognized.

Beyond the risks of the unknown conditions, you also could be jeopardizing the legal protections available under the AAI rule.  The rule is very specific in mandating an ASTM or EPA regulatory compliant Phase I assessment before the legal liability protections kick in.  Years later, when an issue arises, you may find you have no shield from liability due to an inadequate Phase I.

Recommendations:

• If you want a true evaluation of the conditions of the property hire a quality environmental consultant.  Avoid consultants who are simply churning Phase I's to move deals forward.  Low ball pricing can often be a red flag regarding the quality of the report.
• Review the Phase I for compliance with standards to secure liability protections.

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The Clean Ohio program has released a new interactive tool called the"Project Location and Information Map" which provides an interesting overview of brownfield and greenfield projects that have received grant funding under the program. 

You can search by type of grant funds for all projects across Ohio.  You can also search by specific county and see all the projects in that area that received funding.

The project information is pretty limited once you select a specific site.  It basically has a picture of the site and a description of the type of funding received (the picture above was taken from interactive map).  There does not appear to be any details on the type of development anticipated or description of clean up issues encountered.

The State is inviting the project developers to provide more description, so perhaps there is an opportunity to give more detail.  It would be helpful if the description on the map at least identified the parties involved on the project.  

Due to the limited information, the map does not have much utility other than highlighting the large number of projects that have received grant funding across the State. However, you do have other options to gain more information about projects listed on the map. 

Perhaps you are interested in a property in close proximity to a project that received funding.  You always have the option of making a public record request to find out more details on a specific project.  Under public records law you are entitled to see all the documents generated regarding the investigation and clean up associated with a project.

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The Governor's top legislative priority is the privatization of the State's economic development functions.  House Bill 1, known as "JobsOhio", has been introduced and a vote in the Senate may come yet this week. 

The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) plays a critical role in the administration of the Clean Ohio program which provides millions in grants for brownfield redevelopment.  The Department's current role includes the following:

• Review for Clean Ohio grant applications for completeness;
• With the assistance of Ohio EPA, makes eligibility determinations;
• Meets with applicants to discuss projects (known as "PRAMs");
• Selects which projects will receive Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) funding which has recently become Phase II assessment grants;
• Assists the Clean Ohio Council in evaluating projects for Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) funding for clean up; and
• Determines which projects can be reimbursed with grant funds.

On the brownfield projects I work on, the ODOD personnel are the key point of contact when evaluating projects and through out implementation of the project.  More than once, ODOD personnel have made absolutely critical decisions that impact the viability of projects or have made significant reimbursement decisions that cost  developers hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

With the privatization of economic development functions, ODOD's key role will almost certainly be absorbed by another state agency.  Most likely, Ohio EPA will pick up these functions, but its possible the functions could stay with the newly created non-profit corporate entity.

How far away are we from that transition? House Bill 1 is only the first step in privatization of the Ohio Department of Development and the associated transfer of existing functions to other state agencies.  The bill basically establishes the non-profit corporation to be known as JobsOhio.  The Bill then calls for a six month consultation process to evaluate transition of the other functions of ODOD. 

Here is the relevant section of H.B. 1:

Sec. 187.05. The director of development, as soon as
practical after the effective date of this section, shall, in
consultation with the governor, evaluate all powers, functions,
and duties of the department. Within six months after that
effective date, the director shall submit a report to the general
assembly recommending statutory changes necessary to improve the
functioning and efficiency of the department and to transfer
specified powers, functions, and duties of the department to other
existing agencies of the state or to JobsOhio, or eliminate
specified powers, functions, or duties. The recommendations shall
be submitted in writing to the speaker and minority leader of the
house of representatives and the president and minority leader of
the senate.

After submitting the report, the director, in consultation
with the governor, shall continue to evaluate the department and
make additional recommendations on such matters to the general
assembly.

We are probably at least a year away from seeing any of ODOD's responsibilities transition to other agencies or to the JobsOhio entity.  For now it will be the status quo.  But in the near future a crucial decision will be made as to who will administer ODOD's critical Clean Ohio responsibilities.

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The Ohio House has introduced a bill that would provide a tax incentive to clean up contaminated properties.  House Bill 10, if enacted, would provide an exemption from penalties as well as a tax credit to encourage companies to voluntarily remediate property.

Similar to other existing tax incentives, the bill encourages companies to remediate property under Ohio's Voluntary Action Program (VAP).  As discussed in my previous post, the VAP offers a much better option for addressing historical contamination on-site than traditional environmental clean up programs such as CERCLA.

One Year Exemption from Penalties

The bill as introduced, would provide any person or company to which a covenant not to sue (CNS) under the VAP was issued, a one year exemption from any fees or civil or administrative penalties that would be imposed under any environmental law. 

The bill is vague as to how the exemption would operate in practice.  For example, does it exempt penalties associated with violations that occur in that one year period? Or does it exempt the company from any and all violations, including historical violations, if an action is brought during the year following the CNS?

The other component that will likely be tweaked once the bill goes through hearings is the broad nature of the exemption.  It would exempt a company from all penalties, even those totally unrelated to the clean up of the property.

Tax Exemption for Site Remediation Costs

The exemption would cover remediation costs to clean up vacant land as well as property returned to commercial or industrial use.  The tax credit essentially doubles if the property is used for "productive use" which is defined as any trade or business. 

The tax credit applies to the commercial activity tax or the applicable income tax.   The credit would not apply (expire) to any remediation expenditures paid or incurred for a VAP clean up initiated after December 31, 2017.  A VAP is deemed "initiated" if a Phase I is performed.

Conclusion

Any tax exemption is going to be monumentally difficult to pass when the State of Ohio faces a $8 billion dollar budget deficit.  So, the prospects of this bill may not be bright. 

The bill's goal of spurring voluntary clean ups at industrial properties is admirable.  After the recent financial crisis, Ohio and the entire Midwest saw exponential growth in abandoned properties with contamination.  Creating incentives to address these properties is good for the State.

However, rather than a tax credit for remediation costs it may be a more prudent approach to look at expanding the tax exemption for new development on brownfields. (See prior post discussing issues with current brownfield exemption).   The tax impact on revenues would be less dramatic and even could be neutral.

Regardless, it is good to see Legislative policy debate regarding more incentives for voluntary remediations and brownfield redevelopment.  After the financial crisis, Ohio needs to get much more proactive to address its ever expanding portfolio of brownfield properties.

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The Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) has long had a revolving loan fund to help finance brownfield clean up projects.  However, the OWDA program has rarely been utilized because of two factors:

• Clean Ohio Program-  Offers grants up to $3 million for clean up and remediation of sites (i.e. why take a loan when there is significant grant money available?)
• Non-competitive interest rates

At this week's Ohio Brownfield Conference, the State announced that they soon would be revamping the OWDA program to make it more attractive.  The two major changes to be made are:

1. Responsible Parties-  OWDA will allow companies that have legal responsibility for contamination to be eligible for loans so long as the company is not under enforcement orders. Responsible parties (PRPs) are not eligible for Clean Ohio or other federal grant funding.
2. Competitive Interest Rates-  The State did not announce the exact interest rate.  They simply stated the the new rates would be competitive.

The biggest change is allowing responsible parties to be eligible for loans.  Now companies have a new financing option if they want to address historical contamination on their property to eliminate liability risks.  Companies can utilize the Ohio Voluntary Action Program (VAP) in performing their clean up.

Clean up under VAP is a far better option than clean up under traditional enforcement or regulatory programs like RCRA (hazardous waste regulatory program).  VAP clean ups are:

• Cheaper- the program allows use of institutional (i.e. deed restrictions) and engineering controls (physical barriers) as an alternative to more costly removal/disposal of contamination
• Companies have much more flexibility in how to perform their clean up-
  • Residential versus industrial/commercial standards can be selected
  • Buildings and parking lots can be used to contain contamination versus digging and hauling material off-site
  • Companies private environmental consultant oversees the clean up and selects remedies versus the regulator

The OWDA program may provided needed financing to companies wishing to take advantage of the VAP program.

We will need to see the details for the changes to the program once the State rolls them out.  I was told that would occur in the next few weeks.  However, these changes appear to make the OWDA Brownfield Loan Program much more attractive.

(See extended entry for the current program guidelines which will soon be changed)

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Clean Ohio Council has expanded the types of eligible projects that can receive funding under the Clean Ohio Revitilization Fund (CORF).  Parks, urban waterfronts, solar and wind projects are now eligible for funding so long as these projects take place on a brownfield. 

This change will create greater competition begining in Round 10 of the program.  

Three Grant Tracks Under CORF

For round 10 of the CORF, applicants can now seek funding under three different development scenarios:

1. Known End Use Track- $3 million for projects with a use of the property identified as part of the application.
2. Redevelopment Read Track- $2 million for projects on land believed to be primed for redevelopment, but with no specific end use identified. 
3. Sustainable Reinvestment Pilot Track- $1.5 million for sustainable Infrastructure, which includes certain park projects and green infrastructure, urban waterfronts, and cleanfields and brightfields (Wind and Solar projects).

The CORF program has funded very good projects which have always been classic brownfield redevelopment projects, such as the following:

• Construction of new commercial or industrial facilities on a brownfield property
• Expansion of existing industrial and manufacturing facilities onto contaminated land
• Refurbishment and/or renovation of existing structures for reuse

The classic redevelopment projects with known end users have become less frequent in recent rounds.   In order to increase the number of applicants, the Clean Ohio Council decided to create the Known End User Track.  This allowed clean up of brownfields in key locations in hopes of attracting development on these parcels.

Perhaps because the State fears future reductions in applications submitted for CORF, the Clean Ohio has decided to expand eligible projects far beyond the classic brownfield redevelopment project.

Sustainable Reinvestment Pilot Track

In Round 10 of the program, there will be up to $8 million available for these projects.  Here are some of the key aspects of the Sustainable Reinvestment Pilot Track:

• Can only get a maximum of $1.5 million in funding
• Must be on a brownfield
• Can spend the grant funds on demolition, clean up and infrastructure activities
• Infrastructure expenditures are capped at $400,000
• For this track, the definition of "infrastructure" is expanded to include:
  • pathways
  • structures used to manage stormwater
  • wetlands
  • stream restoration
• 25% Match is required, and the following can be used as match:
  • park amenities
  • plants, trees, landscaping, urban gardens
  • solar panels and components
  • wind turbine components
  • green roofs
• Projects must meet the following for infrastructure or new construction:
  • Follow sustainable best practices
  • LEED
  • Green Infrastructure Guidelines
  • Local ordinance mandating all future construction on the project property meet LEED guidelines for a period of 10 years

Parks and Waterfront Restoration Projects Now Eligible

Under the new track, parks and urban waterfronts redevelopments can also be projects.  This subcategory is called the Signature Parks, Sustainable Infrastructure and Urban Waterfronts category.  All park and waterfront projects must meet the following:

•  80% of area must be greenspace or public space
• max 20% of area can be used for parking
• deed restrictions good for 10 years
• commitment for maintenance and stewardship
• Signature Parks or Sustainable Infrastructure must be a minimum of 1.5 acres
• Urban Waterfront projects must be a minimum of 1.0 acre

Cleanfields/Brightfields (Wind and Solar)

Nothing is provided in the Round 10 CORF policies regarding restrictions on this subcategory of the Sustainable Reinvestment Track.  However, if you review the scoring methodology the Council will use to evaluate these projects, the following a key considerations:

• project site has grid access with a participating electric company; or
• project will result in net-metering for an existing entity
• the electric generation site will be a minimum of 25 acres

Impact of New Track

Clean Ohio has not increased funding by $8 million.  Rather, the Council decided to make up to $8 million of the total $23 million available in CORF Round 10 available for the new Sustainable Reinvestment projects. For future applicants, this change likely means increased competition. 

While grant funding for wind, solar, parks and urban stream restoration is understandable, the Clean Ohio program is moving away from classic brownfield redevelopment projects.  The core of the program has always been to remove the barriers to commercial and/or industrial reuse of contaminated land.  In essence, with more competition less money will be available for these classic clean up projects.

Deadlines

Applications are due to your local library by January 14, 2011 as a part of the scheduled Round 10 of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund. Approved applications will be announced in May 2011. 
 

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U.S. EPA has released its fiscal year 2011 request for proposals (RFP) for brownfield assessment and clean up grants.   There is a relatively short window of opportunity to file your application- the deadline is October 15, 2010. 

[Click here for access to U.S. EPA's RFP for the brownfield assessment, clean up and revolving loan]

There is a total of $92.9 million available.   While the RFP allows for greater funding under certain circumstances, the basic limit is $200,000 per site for assessment or clean up.  EPA is required to expend 25% of the total amount available for sites contaminated with petroleum. 

Ohio is lucky to have one of the best state brownfield grant programs- Clean Ohio.  Often Clean Ohio is a better option than pursuing the U.S. EPA grant funding because U.S. EPA's program is a national competition.  However, there are certain circumstances that make the U.S. EPA brownfield grant program potentially a better option than Clean Ohio.

COAF Clean Up Funding Exhausted for this Fiscal Year

The Ohio Dept. of Development announced that it is no longer providing funding under the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) for clean up of brownfields in fiscal year 2011.  However, assessment funding remains.

COAF can provide provide up to $750,000 in funding for clean up of brownfields.  Projects are evaluated and grants awarded on a rolling basis. 

Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) is still available to fund clean up.  It provides up to $3 million in funding per site.  However, a 25% match is required and there are only two CORF rounds per year which typically are competitive.  Therefore, for smaller clean up projects looking for funding in the next year, U.S. EPA's program may be the better option.

Abandoned or Vacant Gas Stations

Under the Clean Ohio policies, removal and clean up of BUSTR (Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulation) regulated storage tanks and remediation of leaks from such tanks are not eligible costs under either the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) or the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF).

For local governments that are trying to deal with abandoned or vacant gas stations in their communities, the U.S. EPA brownfield grant may be their best option.  Communities can seek money for sampling of the site to determine if contamination exists. 

The fear of the unknown (whether contamination exists) acts as a strong deterrent to purchase and redevelopment by private parties.  Once sampling data has been generated, it removes one more impediment to purchase and redevelopment of the site.

Of course if sampling reveals contamination, this can act as a major obstacle to redevelopment.  However, communities can secure clean up funding for these sites under the U.S. EPA program.

Community Assessment Grants

U.S. EPA's program may also be better for communities that are interested in creating a brownfield inventory of various sites within their jurisdiction.  Also, U.S. EPA's program is great for local communities that want to create and fund their own local brownfield assessment programs. 

For example, in Northeast Ohio, the Northcoast Brownfield Coalition was created using U.S. EPA funding.  The Coalition is made up of  the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners, the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority and the Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium.  The Coalition makes provides local grant funding for brownfield projects in Northeast Ohio in amounts up to $30,000.

Below are the applicable limits for assessment grants under the U.S. EPA program:

(Photo:  everystockphoto peasap)

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Ohio has one of the best state brownfield grant programs in the country.  There are two pots of money available at the state level:

• Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF)- Grant that offers up to $3 million to reimburse clean up and some redevelopment costs.  Requires a 25% match.  Typically awards are made twice a year and applications for projects compete against one another for limited funding.
• Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF)- Grants are awarded on a rolling basis so long as money remains available in the grant cycle.  COAF pays up to $300,000 in assessment costs (Phase II) and $750,000 for clean up.

A year ago, the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) announced a major change to COAF-greatly expanding areas eligible to submit COAF applications.  ODOD has just released the 2010 Priority Investment map which shrinks the eligible areas back down the "normal" coverage under the program.

Properties eligible to request COAF funding are those located in a "inner city area", a "labor surplus area" or a "situational distress area" as defined by O.R.C. 122.65(H). Each year the Ohio Department of Development releases a map of the State that identifies which areas fall under one of the three categories and could apply.

ODOD also announced a freeze on COAF clean up grant requests because the number of applications in the pipeline already exceed available funds for FY 2011.  You can still submit an application, but you will not receive clean up funding in FY 2011.  This is in part because ODOD decided to prioritize Phase II grants last year thereby reducing available funding for clean up.

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Recently, Ohio EPA released its newsletter directed toward those interested in brownfield redevelopment (SABR News).  The July 2010 newsletter included some important recent developments at the federal and state level.

Federal Brownfields Legislation

The Federal Brownfield Re-authorization Bill was introduced in May 2010.  If the bill passes it could include some important reforms to U.S. EPA's brownfield programs, including:

• Increased funding- From $350 million in 2011 up to  $600 million in FFY 2016.  While an increase in funding helps spur brownfield redevelopment, one has to question whether such an increase is at all likely given the state of the federal deficit.
• Increase in the cap on federal grants-  Move from $200,000 to $750,000. This is obvious change because the cap was woefully low compared to real word sampling and clean up costs at brownfield sites. Compare it to the Clean Ohio program that has a cap for property assessment work of $300,000.  Over and above the assessment money, you can also get a maximum of $3 million in clean up funding under Clean Ohio. 
• Locally owned properties eligible for federal funding-  Under current law, any municipality who takes ownership of a parcel through foreclosure is considered a PRP under CERCLA and is ineligible for federal brownfield funding.  The legislation would remove this prohibition. This is a very important change.  Cities often take properties because of health or safety issues presented by their current conditions.  We shouldn't penalize cities for being proactive.

Background Soils Workgroup

The newsletter provides an update on Ohio EPA's effort to create a background soil database.  Native Ohio soils can contain various contaminants.  For example, Ohio farm soils are known for higher natural arsenic content. 

At clean up sites, consultants are often asked to perform an analysis to determine if detected levels of contamination are "above background."  If levels are at or below background, then remediation is not necessary. 

The site specific background evaluations can become time intensive and costly.  Hopefully, by producing an Ohio background soil database these types of evaluations will be streamlined and can be performed in a more cost effective manner.  A draft of the database may be available by this Fall.

New Guidance on Vapor Intrusion

In May 2010, Ohio EPA released its new guidance document for sampling and evaluation of potential vapor intrusion associated with contaminated soil and groundwater.  The technical guidance document provides information regarding how Ohio EPA will determine whether soil or ground water contamination would potentially result in unhealthy indoor air exposure to occupants of buildings. 

Vapor intrusion is getting much more attention nationally.  Previously, Ohio EPA simply referred to U.S. EPA's OSWER guidance on vapor intrusion.  Now, Ohio EPA has developed their detailed guidance. 

From discussion with some environmental consultants, they indicate that the Ohio EPA guidance seems to tilt the scales toward sampling in addition to just modeling.  Regardless, it is an important guidance document on an issue that will be receiving heightened attention.

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Hush-Hush Hazards

 

State kept unaware of environmental dangers at casino site

 

Delphi spent about a year identifying toxins at the West Side manufacturing plant it closed in 2007 but never told the state about what it found. It wasn’t required to. New owner Penn National Gaming has shared Delphi’s 3,000-page report with the EPA and plans to clean up the site before opening a casino in 2012... Prospective buyers have a right to know about any potential problems, said Tiffani Kavalec, the agency's (Ohio EPA) cleanup and reuse-section manager.

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Liability for pre-existing contamination acts as a strong deterrent to re-use of brownfield properties.  Prospective purchasers simply do not want to expose themselves to potential liability especially when they had nothing to do with the contamination.

At the federal level, there has been an attempt to address liability exposure in order to provide prospective purchasers some level of liability protection.  However, even though tools exist at the federal level, potential exposure to state environmental liabilities can act as its own deterrent. 

While Clean Ohio may be one of the best brownfield grant programs, not every redevelopment or re-use of a brownfield is right for Clean Ohio.  Given the number of vacant and idled brownfield properties in Ohio, perhaps its time Ohio looked to strengthen protections for innocent purchasers to encourage re-use and prevent urban sprawl.

Federal "Innocent Landowner" Defense

CERCLA (otherwise known as the Superfund law) establishes joint and several liability to a variety of parties, including property owners, for releases of hazardous substances.  Liability can attach regardless of whether you generated or brought the contamination to the property.

The 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield Revitalization Act (“the Brownfield Amendments”) amended CERCLA to provide for protections for purchasers of property.  Under the Brownfield Amendments a person can receive liability protections when purchasing contaminated property, it the person meets certain requirements. This is commonly referred to as the “innocent landowner defense.”

Under federal law, in order to establish the innocent landowner defense the purchaser must, prior to the date of acquisition of the property, perform “all appropriate inquiries” into prior ownership and uses of a property. In 2005, U.S. EPA finalized a rule which establishes mandatory standards for conducting all appropriate inquiries ("AAI Rule").

If the investigation (a Phase I assessment) spots no issues, then the legal protection attaches if procedures are followed set forth in the AAI rule. If the investigation of the property reveals the likelihood that a release has occurred, the AAI rule requires reasonable steps be taken to address the release or contain it before you receive liability protection.

But what about State environmental liability?

State environmental statutes provides separate authority to bring actions for historical contamination on brownfield properties.  While there are certain limitations on that authority, I have had clients express concern regarding this liability exposure.

The State of Ohio does not have a regulation or even a policy that recognizes the "innocent landowner" defense.  Meeting the AAI rule will not establish a legal defense against state statutory environmental liabilities.  While the State may exercise enforcement discretion, some clients don't have the risk tolerance to live with that potential exposure.

Should Ohio adopt some kind of "innocent landowner" protection to attract re-use of brownfields?

At a minimum, some formal recognition of the AAI rule by the State would at least provide some level of comfort.  However, given the number of brownfield sites in the State, something stronger is warranted. 

One potential model is the Clean Michigan Initiative.  Under this law, the State provides liability protection to innocent purchasers similar to the federal AAI rule.  Here is a quick synopsis of the program:

• Baseline Environmental Assessment (BEA)- A BEA is performed which is a simpler, streamlined alternative to full blown clean up of the site.
• Establish the Baseline- BEA is used to gather information about a contaminated property when the owner or operator changes so existing contamination can be distinguished from any that might occur once a new owner or operator acquires the property.
• Timing- the BEA must be performed prior to or no more than 45 days after the date of purchase, foreclosure, or becoming the operator, whichever occurs first; 
• Disclose -  the results of the BEA must be provided to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and subsequent purchasers and lessee operators.
• Due Care Responsibilities- Purchasers need only take actions sufficient to ensure that their use of the property: 1) does not allow an unacceptable exposure to contamination, 2) does not worsen the contamination, and 3) protects against the reasonably foreseeable actions of third parties such as contractors or trespassers.

Very similar to the Federal AAI rule, Michigan's BEA serves as a good model to address State liabilities at contaminated properties.  Such protection could further encourage re-use of industrial sites that remain idled or vacant.

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The administration of the Clean Ohio program is largely governed by the policies developed by the Clean Ohio Council. Separate policies have been generated for the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) and the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF).

Over the life of the Clean Ohio program, the Clean Ohio Council has routinely updated the program policies to address issues and provide additional clarification to applicants. The policies govern critical components of the brownfield grant program including eligibility, evaluation of projects and administration of grants.

The policies are used as a mechanism to address many of the more common issues that arise and to modify the program. Every brownfield project is different and on most Clean Ohio projects issues will arise that are unique to that project or that are not clearly addressed by the policies. However, it is important to pay attention any time the Council updates their policies.

On March 19, 2010, the Clean Ohio Council approved changes to the policies that govern projects seeking funding under the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF). CORF funding is awarded on a competitive basis semi-annually by the Clean Ohio Council. The new policies were placed on the Clean Ohio web page today and are effective immediately.

An Ohio EPA newsletter states the changes were made based upon recommendations received from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), Ohio EPA, grantees and other interested parties. While the changes do adjust some of the administrative procedures, there are no changes on the scale of past policy updates. Prior changes included creation of the Redevelopment Ready Track and the addition of extensive conflict of interest provisions.

Here is a quick summary of the changes made:

• Eligible Grant Costs- Costs incurred responding to Ohio EPA comments are now eligible. However, costs associated with re-issuance of a No Further Action letter are not eligible. Clarification was provided that costs incurred in preparing an application are not eligible.
 

• Clarification of Eligible Infrastructure Work- To be eligible as match, infrastructure work must be performed on or at the project property. Infrastructure work used as match must be completed prior the end of the grant. The 10% limit on use of grant funds for infrastructure costs was maintained. A new definition of what constitutes “infrastructure” was added which states:

            o “Infrastructure” means technical structures that support society, including but not limited to roads, bridges, water supply, sewers, power grids, and telecommunications, but excludes vertical structures, such as buildings and parking garages. The exclusion of buildings and parking garages is the most important clarification of this added definition.
 

• Requires a Project Resource and Advisory Meeting (PRAM)- The PRAM meeting includes ODOD and Ohio EPA at the Site. This is where any issues identified with the clean up or proposed project can be discussed early on with the State Agencies. While these meetings have been routine, the policy update makes clear that the meeting is mandatory and must be conducted prior to placing the grant application in the library for public comment.
 

• Integrated Rankings- Under the policy revisions, if an Integrating Committee ranks multiple projects, and a project is withdrawn prior to the Clean Ohio Council award meeting, lower ranked projects will move up in ranking. This is an important change because projects do routinely drop out of the process and some areas of the state (including Cleveland) typically have multiple projects submitted. The Integrated Committee related points are crucial you’re your application is in a competitive grant round.
 

• Initiation and Completion of the Project- New requirements were added regarding funding projects. Applicants are not required to open a Technical Assistance Account with Ohio EPA within 60 days of grant award. These accounts are used to discuss clean up issues with Ohio EPA. Work must commence on site within 12 months of the effective date of the grant agreement. Finally, projects must be completed within 48 months (including issuance of the Covenant Not to Sue by Ohio EPA) of the date the grant contract is executed.

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I was interviewed for a story on the local NPR station in Cleveland about a Northeast Ohio company that nearly went bankrupt because of confusion over Ohio's brownfield tax abatement law.  The title of the story was "How a Poorly Worded Tax Rule Nearly Bankrupted Ohio's Oldest Company." Listen to the whole story by clicking here.

After reviewing the issue in preparation for the interview, it became readily apparent this was a law in serious need of a re-write.  A company's future shouldn't hinge on a vague tax exemption law.  I also learned that it was probably time to revisit some of the policy decisions made when writing the brownfield tax exemption law.

Background: Taylor Companies was debating whether to move out of Ohio.  It decided to remain in Ohio, in part, due to incentives it would receive for building on a brownfield site.  The principle incentive being a 10 year tax exemption for the increase in value of the property post-clean up.  Here are some excerpts from the story on NPR: 

The abatement was 87% less than what he expected. See, Taylor’s lawyers interpreted the state statute to mean that the tax exemption would cover the increase in value from before they did any clean-up to the new value after the company built and moved into its nice new building on what had been a brownfield. But Shelley Wilson of the Ohio Department of Taxation says they were wrong...

Instead of comparing the value of the land from its polluted days to its clean state…which seems most logical, tax officials compare the value of the land from one year before the tax abatement to its value after the improvements were made. The problem is that cleaning up the land and constructing a building may take longer than that narrow one-year time-frame. In Taylor’s case, he had already made most of the improvements by the time the tax commissioner made his assessment of the change in the land’s value. Shelley Wilson of the office of taxation concedes Taylor’s reading of the statute was probably the intent of the law.

Basically, the Ohio Department of Taxation responded to the controversy by saying- it may be the intent of the law to compare value pre-clean up to post-clean up, but that is not how the Ohio Legislature wrote the law.

At issue is the statutory provision set forth in R.C. 5709.87 "Exempting increase in assessed value of realty cleaned of contamination."  The key language is as follows:

(C)(1)(a) Upon receipt by the tax commissioner of a certification for property under division (B) of this section, the commissioner shall issue an order granting an exemption from real property taxation of the increase in the assessed value of land constituting property that is described in the certification, and of the increase in the assessed value of improvements, buildings, fixtures, and structures situated on that land at the time the order is issued as indicated on the current tax lists.

The Ohio Department of Taxation looked at the bolded language and determined the valuation comes from when the tax exemption order was issued, rather than looking back at the value of prior to when clean up commenced.  Triggering the exemption based on when an order is issued by Taxation really puts the squeeze on businesses redeveloping brownfield properties. Unless they time everything perfectly, they can lose out on potentially millions in tax abatement. (see example below)

The Department states this interpretation is supported by a decision issued by the Ohio Supreme Court- Columbus City School District v. Wilkens.   Here is how Ohio EPA describes the process in its guidance document dealing with the brownfield tax exemption:

For example, if the covenant not to sue is issued by Ohio EPA in September, 2007, and the Tax Commissioner issues the tax exemption order in October, 2007, the property tax exemption granted will be for the increase in value of the land and buildings on the property from the value of the property as of January 1, 2006, the tax lien date for tax year 2006. Since real property taxes are collected a year in arrears (i.e., the 2006 taxes are based on a value as of January 1, 2006, but collected in 2007), the 2006 tax list would be the most current list available for the Tax Commissioner’s October 2007 exemption order. The tax exemption would begin for tax year 2007 which would affect taxes collected in 2008.

Even if businesses line up things in the right way, they are still dependent on two government agencies- Ohio EPA and the Ohio Department of Taxation- acting on a timely basis.  One Cincinnati company lost out on a potential tax exemption on a $4 million dollar increase in the value of its property simply because paperwork was not issued by the government agencies in a timely fashion.  See, Hamilton Brownfields Redevelopment LLC v. Zaino, Tax Commissioner of Ohio.  In that case the Board of Tax Appeals states: 

"The General Assembly has mandated the exemption period begin in the year in which the order is issued.  The statute provides no latitude to consider or alter the commencement of the exemption."

It is time to fix the language in the tax exemption statute.  The entire purpose of the tax abatement law is to provide an incentive to clean up brownfield sites.  If we want to encourage redevelopment of brownfields versus building on greenfield sites, incentives must be significant and effective to overcome the increased costs of building on brownfield sites. 

The best fix would be to simply take the tax valuation of the property that was issued immediately before the clean up was commenced (a date identified in the papers filed with Ohio EPA) and compare it to the valuation after clean up is completed. 

New Construction- In or out?

The commencement of the tax exemption is not the only flaw in this law.  There is also confusion regarding the extent of the tax exemption as it applies to new construction.  As noted in Ohio EPA's guidance document:

The Department of Taxation interprets the exemption granted under ORC 5709.87 as limited to the increase in value of the land and the existing buildings on the NFA property, and not of new structures constructed at the NFA property.

Taxation has made it even a bit more complicated than simply limiting it to existing buildings at the property.  Taxation has gone on to limit improvements to existing buildings that were not features of the building prior to the clean up.  For example,

• If you replace an old swimming pool with a new swimming pool, the increased value attributable to the new pool is exempt.
• However, if the building never had a swimming pool, it would be considered a new improvement and not exempt.

(See, Seven Seventeen HB Philadelphia v. Franklin County Board of Revision)

Unfortunately, Ohio is blessed with thousands of brownfield sites.  If we are going direct development towards these sites, we need strong incentives.  Costs of cleaning up a brownfield can run into the millions of dollars. 

Is it really good policy to restrict the tax exemption in such a fashion?

We also need the law to be clear on its face.  Lets hope the last part of the NPR story is correct and the Ohio Legislature takes up fixing the brownfield tax exemption law soon. 

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Whether you are redeveloping a former manufacturing site or you operate a business on a contaminated site, the liability risks associated with releases of hazardous substances are significant.  With the unknowns and surprises associated with environmental clean up the future of your business could be at risk without proper protections. There are a range of insurance products that can be essential to businesses looking to minimize such risks.  

Insurance products can provide coverage against neighbors claims that contamination has migrated onto their property.  Products can provide protection against cost overruns on clean up projects.  They can also protect service providers against liability for negligence or mistakes in providing services on clean up projects.

This post provides a basic overview of various environmental insurance products.  In purchasing such products close attention should be paid to the specific terms of the policy offered.  In other words, know and understand the limits of your coverage so there are no surprises should an issue arise in the future.

Pollution Liability Policies

These are the most widely used brownfield insurance products.  They provide a range of protections typically triggered after you have successfully cleaned up a property (signified by regulatory agency signoff on you clean up).  The potential protections in such policies include:

• Third party bodily injury and property damage tor liability claims that arise post clean up as a result of remaining contamination
  • Potential tort claims brought by neighboring property owners who claim could damages based upon bodily injury, property damage, diminution in property value or business interruption based upon pollution from your property migrating off-site
  • Tort claims for on-site property or bodily injury  caused by pollution remaining at the site
  • Pollution released during transport of clean up related soils and materials
• Costs of additional clean up and other related expenses in the event there is a finding of new contamination or a regulator later decides they want more clean up
  • additional clean up of known contamination which regulators had believed did not require remediation
  • clean up of previously unknown contamination
• Legal defense costs associated with the first two types of coverage

When seeking pollution liability insurance careful review of the proposed policy terms is essential.  What items are excluded from coverage?  What risks are so remote they could be excluded and bring down the cost of the policy? Typically, there is a "base policy" that provides some level of standard coverage.  The base coverage is then modified through addition or exclusion of specific coverages (referred to as "endorsements"). 

Different insurance products will offer varying standard terms, those that must be added (special endorsements) and those that are simply not offered.  Some possible special endorsements or  exclusions may include:

• lead-based paint in buildings
• asbestos in soil or buildings
• mold in buildings
• low level radioactive materials
• natural radioactive materials (ex: radon)
• unknown underground storage tanks

It is important to understand the limits of a policy to make sure you are receiving coverage for the most important and largest risks attributable to your site.

Coverage can typically range from anywhere from $1 million to $50 million in protection.  Common policy limits can range between $5 million to $10 million in coverage.  Deductibles can be as low as $10,000 or as high as $1 million or more depending on the coverage sought.

Cost Cap Policies

Cost cap insurance is purchased to protect against the event that the clean up of the site becomes far more costly that initial estimates.   Cost cap insurance is typically expensive and for that reason its less common.  Typical types of events that can be covered include:

• Clean up involved either higher volume or higher concentrations of known pollutants that was anticipated when developing the clean up plan
• Newly found pollutants that were not known during development of the clean up plan
• Additional investigation required as a result of newly found contamination
• Increase costs due to changes in regulatory requirements or standards
• Failure of the proposed remedy for the site

There are even less standard terms in cost cap policies that pollution liability policies.  Business must carefully review the terms to understand their limits of coverage. 

For example, often the clean up plan can be incorporated into the policy.  Coverage may be limited to only those activities set forth in the plan.  If some other activity is required that was not discussed in the clean up plan, there may be no coverage  for increases costs associated with that activity.

As noted, the premiums for cost cap insurance can be expensive.  One study of brownfield insurance products found that premiums ranged anywhere from 10% to 25% of the estimated cost of clean up or the limit of coverage. 

Other Brownfield Insurance Products

1. Pre-funded Programs- these products involve prefunding expenses at a clean up site.  Depending on the type of policy, the insured pays the premium and expected clean up costs upfront.  If clean up is less than anticipated, depending on terms, the insured may get a portion of the prefunded expenses back.  If costs are higher than anticipated, the insurer will pay the cost overruns pursuant to the terms of the policy. 
2. Secured Lender Policies- These policies protect against loses due to pollution on a property that is subject to secure a loan.  The coverage that could be provided includes: a) reimbursement of principal left on the loan due to borrower's default; and b) third party tort claims for bodily injury or property damage after foreclosure on the property.  The purpose of this coverage is to give your lender comfort by minimizing their risk in financing your project.
3. Contractor's Pollution Liability- policies issued to general contractors and others who handle remediation, transportation of hazardous substances, or other aspects of the clean up.  The product will protect against property damage, bodily injury and environmental clean up claims that could arise from working on a clean up sites. 
4. Professional Liability Insurance- purchased to protect against mistakes or negligence of engineers, consultants, labs or other professionals providing services or advice on clean up sites.

Ohio Voluntary Action Program- Insurance Discount

Ohio EPA's Voluntary Action Program (VAP) is the state clean up program addressing brownfield and other voluntary clean ups.  VAP has developed a new component of their program that provides discounts on environmental insurance products.   The Environmental Insurance Program (EIP) began on July 20, 2009 and allows VAP volunteers (and others with an interest in the brownfield property) the ability to obtain Pollution Liability Insurance at a 10% discount off the standard premium rate. 

More Information on Brownfield Insurance Products

BrownfieldsInsurance.org is a site that was developed with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist those seeking information and assistance with insurance products that mitigate environmental liabilities associated with brownfield properties. The site contains papers and studies discussing various environmental insurance products.  It also has information regarding professional services.  It is a good basic resource to educate yourself on environmental insurance products. 

(photo: everystockphoto.com-patriarca12) 

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Any business spending money on an environmental investigation or on clean up at property they own examine closely a federal tax incentive which is set to expire December 31, 2009.  The incentive allows environmental clean up costs to be fully deductible in the year they are incurred, rather than having to be capitalized and spread over a period of years. 

Some businesses may not look closely at that tax incentive because they don't think they own a "brownfield" property.  Many conjure images of falling down and abandoned manufacturing buildings when they think of a brownfield.  However, the incentive, known as the Federal Brownfields Tax Incentive, is very broad and inclusive as to what constitutes eligible properties.  Properties in full productive use with contamination can be eligible.

Until 2000, the Federal Brownfield Tax Incentive did include restrictions on which properties could be eligible.  The law included requirements on specific land use, geographic and contamination requirements for determining eligible properties.  However, most of these limitations were removed in 2000. 

Section 198 of the Internal Revenue Code contains the requirements for expensing environmental remediation costs.  Section 198 defines "qualified contaminated site" as the following:

The term "qualified contaminated site" means any area-

(A) which is held by the taxpayer for use in a trade or business or for the production of income, or which is property described in section 1221(a)(1) in the hands of the taxpayer, and

(B)  at or on which there has been a release (or threat of release) or disposal of any hazardous substance.

(Note: sites on the National Priorities List are excluded from eligibility)

The two requirements set forth in Section 198 are not very limiting, potentially allowing any property to be eligible that is held by a business upon which contamination is present.  Any business looking to qualify their property as eligible must obtain a statement from the designated state agency (typically the State EPA where the property is located) that there has been a release, threat of release, or disposal of a a hazardous substance at or on the property. 

Clean ups at former gas stations or  those involving underground storage tanks containing gasoline now also potentially qualify.  In 2006, the tax incentive was further expanded to include contamination from petroleum products (e.g., crude oil, crude oil condensates, and natural gasoline). 

What types of expenses are deductible? Generally speaking, any expenses incurred in connection with abatement or control of hazardous substances, including:

• Site assessment and investigation;
• Site monitoring;
• Clean up costs;
• Operation and maintenance costs;
• State voluntary cleanup program oversight fees; and
• Removal of demolition debris

While the incentive was extended at least three times since 1997, it is set to expire on December 31, 2009.  If the incentive provides advantages to your business it may make sense to consider managing your clean ups in the remaining months to maximize its benefits before it expires.  Also, note that it is possible previously filed tax returns can be amended to include deductions for past clean up expenditures.

U.S. EPA has a very useful fact sheet and answers to frequently asked questions on their website that provide further guidance on the incentive. 

[Disclaimer: You should consult your environmental counsel, CPA and tax counsel to determine whether your specific circumstances would qualify for the Federal Brownfield Tax Incentive]

[Photo: everystockphoto.com/Here in Van Nuys]

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There has been much discussion regarding the use of Land Banks to assist in addressing the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis.  Here is an excerpt from the Cleveland Plain Dealer discussing the County's recently launched non-profit corporate land bank:

Formally launched by the county in April, the new, nonprofit land bank is the first of its kind in Ohio.It could soon turn Cleveland into the nation's biggest urban laboratory on how a declining industrial city with a comatose real estate market can downsize gracefully -- and prepare to rebound in the future. The impact on the city as a whole could be far greater than individual projects such as the proposed medical mart and revamped convention center downtown.

Ohio recently passed Senate Bill 353 which allows a two year trial period for Counties to create a separate county land reutilization corporation for purposes of acquiring abandoned and tax delinquent properties.  By allowing creation of a separate corporation, the law addresses the issue of liability- a major short-coming of Ohio's existing land banking law set forth in Ohio Revised Code 5722.  The law also allows for an expedited foreclosure process. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland released an good analysis of the new legislation titled "Understanding Ohio's Land Bank Legislation."

Why create a land bank?  Obviously, thousands of abandoned properties bring down property values across the board and create blight.  Abandoned properties also present other risks. Here is a quote from a University of Michigan study of its Land Bank program:

The U.S. Fire Administration reports that over 12,000 vacant structure fires are reported each year in the U.S., which results in $73 million in property damage annually.  In addition, abandoned properties tend to attract crime. A 1993 study of 59 abandoned properties in Austin, Texas, found that 34 percent were used for illegal activities and of the 41 percent that were unsecured, 83 percent were used for illegal activities.

While the focus of the recently enacted Land Bank Legislation has been as a tool for addressing abandoned residential properties, its utility should also be examined for application to brownfields. Land Banks can serve has effective means of addressing the complex legal and environmental issues that face brownfield properties. 

As an example, the Franklin County Land Bank was used successfully to address tax liens on the former Bedford Landfill which overcame a significant barrier to redevelopment.  The Bedford Landfill became a successful Clean Ohio project receiving a $3 million grant from the State of Ohio.

Today, I attended a presentation by members of the City of Cleveland's Economic Development Department on the City's Industrial Land Bank Program.  Nate Hoelzel and David Ebersole provided an interesting overview of this unique effort by the City to address large brownfield's for redevelopment.

The City of Cleveland's Industrial/Commercial Land Bank was launched in 2005.  The creation of the Cleveland Industrial Land Bank was preceded by an academic study by Cleveland State University.  The purpose of the bank is to try an assemble large tracks of abandoned property in areas identified by the City for priority commercial/industrial development.  Criteria include looking for properties of at least 20 acres in size and near key infrastructure.

In a relatively short time period (less than 4 years), the Land Bank has acquired 100 acres of brownfield property.  Thirty-seven (37) acres are currently on the market for industrial or commercial redevelopment.  The adjacent picture is from Economic Development Department's web page shows the location of 3 tracks currently held by the Land Bank.

The industrial/commercial land bank is designed to overcome the unique aspects of  contaminated urban property that prevents major development.  Representatives for the City of Cleveland estimated it cost approximately $300,000 per acre to address urban brownfield property.  Such a staggering costs often drives development to greenfields and promotes urban sprawl.  The factors that drive such staggering costs include:

• liability for contamination
• assessment costs for investigating the extent of contamination
• demolition costs for vacant buildings
• property title issues including tax liens

Land Bank's can overcome many of these barriers by providing public funds for costly environmental assessment, removing title issues and even potentially addressing liability through clean up of the property.  A property returned to the market may be free of tax liens and have received a full release from the State of Ohio for environmental contamination.

While successful for its relatively short existence, Cleveland's Industrial Land Bank could be improved if provided additional flexibility.  The Land Bank relies upon the traditional legal framework for its activities.  The legal authority for municipalities to purchase underutilized land exists at the State level in Ohio Revised Code 5722 and at authority for the Industrial Land Bank is located in Section 183.021 of the City of Cleveland Code. Under these authorities, no separate corporation can be created which means the City can face significant liability exposure under federal Superfund laws (CERCLA) for owning contaminated property. 

During the presentation, the presenters mentioned the City's effort to amend federal law during the effort in 2006 to reauthorize U.S. EPA's brownfield program.  While amendment of federal law to allow municipalities or counties to acquire property without fear of CERCLA liability makes sense, it may be an uphill climb.  It may be more practical to allow for expansion of Ohio's new Land Banking Legislation to specifically allow for political subdivisions to acquire brownfield properties through a separate corporation.  This would provide City's a layer of liability protection for being active in purchasing these complex properties.

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On May 18, 2009 the Clean Ohio Council finalized new policies that will govern future rounds of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF).  A major change has been incorporated into the policies that will impact developers, consultants and contractors who work on Clean Ohio projects.  For the first time the Council has included conflict of interest prohibitions. 

The conflict of interest prohibitions are directed primarily at consultants who have previously acted as both developer and environmental consultant on a project.  Contractors are also prohibited from taking any interest in the development if they want to received Clean Ohio funds to perform work on the project. 

Another important prohibition applies to consultants and prohibits participation as both consultant for the developer and a company who caused or contributed contamination at the property.  This has occurred at projects because it appeared to create continuity on the project.   Some public entities saw it as a positive to continue to involve the consultant who has the most knowledge about the challenges presented by contamination at the property.

If you are involved in Clean Ohio projects, this new provision carries important implications that could shape future involvement at brownfield redevelopment projects.  It will also be important to monitor your partners in a project because a conflict of interest could hold up the whole project. 

Here are the new provisions:

10.02 Entities paid for with Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant dollars on a funded property must avoid conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization involved in the cleanup project has an interest that might compromise their ability to execute the project in a manner consistent with the intentions of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund program. A conflict of interest may exist even if no proven illegal act results from it, and will include an appearance of impropriety that undermines confidence in the individuals or organizations involved in the project. To avoid a conflict of interest and ensure that proper checks and balances exist, the following restrictions are placed on funded properties:
    • The Certified Professional may not act as the developer or an investor in  the development on the funded project.
     • The selected environmental consulting firm or their employees may not act as the developer or an investor in the development on the funded project.
     • The selected contractor or subcontractors may not act as the developer or an investor in the development on the funded project.
      • The selected environmental consulting firm and the contractor or subcontractor for the funded project may not be the same firm or related firms.
     • The selected environmental consulting firm may not be engaged in concurrent service agreements for the grantee and the party that caused and contributed to the contamination on the funded project.

(Photo: Patriarca12/everystockphoto.com)

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On Monday I passed the LEED AP exam for New Construction after about a month and half of studying.  I can't tell you how relieved I was when the computer screen at the testing center had the word "PASS" on it.  After the U.S. Green Building Council's  (USGBC) launch of LEED v3, I am already known as a "Legacy AP" even though my accreditation is a mere three days old.  Even though the ink hasn't dried yet on my AP credentials, I'd like to make a few observations of LEED v3. 

USGBC  launched LEED v3 on April 27, 2009.  The new version includes changes to the scoring system for projects, the LEED accreditation process and the LEED on-line tools for administering projects.   There were three major changes made to the scoring process under v3:

• Harmonization- the new prerequisite/credit structure tries to take the various LEED rating systems (Core & Shell, New Construction, etc.) and equalize requirements for obtaining certain credits under each structure
• Weighting of Credits- greater priority was given under the scoring structure to energy efficiency and climate change
• Regionalization- new bonus points are awarded if your project achieves certain credits that are deemed priorities in the region the project is located

Bike Racks v. Brownfields

For new construction and major renovation projects, LEED NC v2.2 (old system) scored projects on a 69 point scale. Under LEED NC v2.2 achieving most credits you were awarded one point, which led to a great deal of criticism of the old scoring system. For example-

• Putting up bike racks- if you put some bike racks in front the building = 1 point
• Redevelopment of a brownfield- if you redeveloped a former brownfield with hazardous substance contamination that cost $4 million to address = 1 point

It was my hope that LEED v3 would address such inequities in the scoring system.  Unfortunately, it appears those still persist.  Perhaps I am partial to brownfield redevelopment, but I simply don't understand why LEED v3 still only gives 1 possible point for achieving this credit.  To me this was the single biggest oversight in the revamping of the LEED scoring structure.

With the release of LEED v3 USGBC tried to give greater weight to energy efficiency and climate change.  As examples, EA Credit 1 Optimize Energy Performance went from 10 total possible points to 19.  EA Credit 2 On-Site Renewable Energy went from 3 possible points to 7. 

I understand the prioritization of climate change and energy efficiency which really impact the overall life cycle of a building.  However, I come at this from an environmental perspective given my background.  To me we should be encouraging addressing thousands of historically contaminated sites that liter our urban landscapes.  Due to the significant costs and liability issues associated with brownfields, many developers stay away from these projects all together.  

LEED v3 offered an opportunity to better promote brownfield development.  My recommendation would to have been to provide at least 4 possible points for brownfield redevelopment.  This would be equal to the new scoring system available points for WE Credit 1 Water Efficient Landscaping. The points could be awarded based up on the remediation costs associated with the property.  There is a correlation between remediation costs and levels of contamination, which would mean projects addressing more extensive contamination get more points.

Regionalization

Perhaps my focus on brownfields stems from living in the industrial Midwest where numerous abandoned factories occupy our cities.  LEED v3 also incorporates a new bonus point pool to recognize regional prioritization.  A project can achieve up to 4 bonus points for achieving certain LEED credits.  This would mean brownfield redevelopment could get 2 points instead of 1.  Still not enough in my mind, but at least 2 is greater than just 1. 

USGBC has created a spreadsheet first separated by State and then by zip code for virtually the entire U.S.  You can go into the spreadsheet and look up the zip code for your project and there will be six credits that have been prioritized by local USBBC Chapters.  For example, in the Cleveland area here are the six prioritized credits:

1. Sustainable Sites Credit 6.1- Stormwater Quantity- reduction in rate and flow of stormwater post development
2. Sustainable Sites Credit 6.2- Stormwater Quality- implementation of controls to capture 90% of the flow and remove 80% TSS
3. Energy and Atmosphere Credit 2- On-site Renewable Energy- provide a minimum of 3% of energy needs from on-site renewable energy
4. Water Efficiency Credit 2-  Innovative Wastewater- reduce generation of wastewater by 50%
5. Materials and Resources Credit 2- Construction Waste Management- achieve reduction of 75% of C&D waste
6. Materials and Resources Credit 6- Use Rapidly Renewable Materials- 2.5% of the cost of materials used on the project should be from rapidly renewable construction materials

I scratch my head at these regional priorities for the Cleveland area.  I am certainly okay with promoting renewable energy, but there are other critical issues that face Cleveland.  Why not prioritize these credits?

1. Sustainable Sites Credit 3 Brownfields- The Cuyahoga County Commissioners Department of Development provides the following statistics about brownfields:

   [Based on a US EPA funded study]- Approximately 4,623 acres of brownfields in Cuyahoga County with the majority of that land located in the City of Cleveland and its surrounding inner ring suburbs. Cleveland, alone, has approximately 350 brownfields and an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 condemned structures. Additionally, the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission found that 40,000 acres, or 14%, of the County’s land, has at some time been devoted to an industry that has historically been known to be a higher risk for environmental contamination.

2. Sustainable Sites Credit 5 Protect and Restore Habitat and Maximize Open Space- it is really tough to find remaining greenspace in Cleveland.  It is estimated that 95% of the land in Cuyahoga County has been developed. The lack of open space/greenspace creates other issues such as flooding and stormwater control.  This would seem like a prime credit to be prioritized in the Cleveland Region.

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These are great times to investigating potential brownfield projects in Ohio.  The State has two pots of money available under its Clean Ohio brownfield program.  1)  the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF); and 2) the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF).  CORF is a competitive grant process where applications are pooled into rounds and the top projects in that round receive funding.  Under COAF, projects are evaluated on an individual basis and decisions are made by the Director of the Department of Development.

COAF- Areas Eligible to Apply for Funding is Greatly Expanded

This month, the Ohio Department of Development announced a major change to COAF-greatly expanding areas eligible to submit COAF applications.  Properties eligible to request  COAF funding are those located in a "inner city area", a "labor surplus area" or a "situational distress area" as defined by O.R.C. 122.65(H).  Each year the Ohio Department of Development releases a map of the State that identifies which areas fall under one of the three categories and could apply. 

On May 1, 2009, the Ohio Priority Investment Area Map was modified to reflect the recent changes made to the Federal Labor Surplus map. Under the old map 41 counties and certain cities were designated "priority investment areas" based on one of the three categories.  The new map designates 83 counties in Ohio as Labor Surplus Areas. This includes all of Cuyahoga County and most of the surrounding Counties. 

All areas designated on the Priority Investment Map are therefore eligible to file applications for the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund for assessment grants of up to $300,000 and cleanup grants of up to $750,000. COAF will have approximately $12 million for new grants in the coming year. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis (no deadline). 

The Ohio Department of Development also modified the policies governing COAF.  One notable change is the prioritization of Phase II Environmental Assessment projects.  Here is what the Department said about this change:

In order to maximize assistance to distressed communities during the economic crisis and meet a critical need to prepare sites for cleanup and redevelopment, the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund will now reserve 75% for funding Phase II Environmental Assessments grants and 25% for funding cleanup grants.

CORF's - Redevelopment Ready Track

If you are looking at a project with much higher clean up costs than $750,000, then CORF is still a great option.  The State recently provided more flexibility to the program.  Last summer, the Ohio Department of Development made a major change to the CORF program by adding the "redevelopment ready track." Before this change an applicant for CORF had to identify in its application a committed end user post clean up. Under the "redevelopment ready track" an applicant could qualify for up to $2 million in grant funds to pay for clean up costs even without an end user.

A significant amount of cleanup funding is available in the upcoming rounds of CORF. Funding for Round 7 (deadline July 25th) and Round 8 will total $48 million in the coming year ($24 million per round), which is the largest amount the program has experienced in its history.

Unlike other States, Ohio has a lot of funding available for brownfield investigation and clean up.  Over the last year the State has increased the flexibility in the program and expanded areas within the State eligible for funding.  While the economy is down, it is a great time to explore development options for brownfield sites.  As the economy comes back the competitiveness of these programs will increase. 

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Hurry up and get your site in line by Monday March 30th with the State of Ohio for possible additional federal brownfield money to support your project.  The State is only looking for "shovel ready" sites.  This means the types of brownfield sites that may be able to secure the $200,000 federal brownfield stimulus money are limited. 

Check out the Ohio Department of Development's fact sheet to see if your brownfield site may be eligible.  If it is then you need only fill out a simple form to get your site in line. 

The State has been sending out the following notifications:

Dear Brownfield Stakeholder:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. The Recovery Act purpose and goal is to “to jumpstart our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century.” (www.Recovery.gov)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $100 million in additional funds to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Brownfields program. This is a nationally competitive program for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield properties. Government entities and non-profit organizations may apply directly to EPA for these funds. It is anticipated the EPA will release a notice into the Federal Register detailing guidelines regarding application submittals this week. The timeline for distribution and administration of these dollars is very short. Additional information is available on EPA’s brownfield website: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm

The Ohio Department of Development will be applying to the EPA to support brownfield cleanup and redevelopment statewide. Our Urban Development Division has successfully received grants of this type in the past and is well positioned to request significant cleanup dollars and to work in partnership with the communities to have an impact around the state. In preparation, the Department needs to create a pipeline of potential projects given the criteria listed on the enclosed fact sheet. The Department, if awarded, will administer and target the funds for these particular categories of brownfield projects: asbestos abatement, hazardous substance projects in the Ohio Voluntary Action Program and petroleum projects regulated by the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations.

If you have a viable project in one of these categories, please read the enclosed fact sheet then fill out the web form available at http://development.ohio.gov/recovery/recoveryform/ so we may include your project in our list of projects by Monday, March 30, 2009 at 12 p.m. EDT.

Important Note: Although you may have already submitted a request on recovery.ohio.gov, it is necessary to provide your project information on the web form for the Department’s funding request to US EPA. Submitting information to either the receovery.ohio.gov site or on the web form does not indicate application submittal or funding approval. If the Department receives funding, projects will be prioritized for their readiness to proceed and creation/retention of jobs.

Thank you,

Urban Development Division

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After reauthorization of the Clean Ohio program this November by Ohio Voters, the State has announced their intention to maintain two grant funding rounds per year going forward.  Hopefully this will allow the program to operate more consisentely.  In the past, project developers were often forced to try and rush projects because future funding rounds were uncertain. 

Round 5 was completed in December, with seven projects recieving around $12.7 million in funding.  This was less than the $17 million the state had available in that round.  This marks the first time less then the full amount of funding available was awarded. 

The State has already announced the schedule for the next two funding rounds:

Round 6- Unless your project is already been listed on Ohio's Brownfield Inventory, you are too late to qualify for this round.  The deadline for filing the form to be listed in the inventory was December 5th.

- Grant applications are due January 9th

- Awards will be announced in May of 2009

Round 7

- No deadline for listing a property with the brownfield inventory has been announced to date.  Typcially, the deadline is 30 days prior to the deadline for filing a grant application.

-Grant applications are due July 25th

-Award will be announced in November of 2009

The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) who administers the program also announced other enhancements to improve the program.  These include:

• Clean Ohio Assistance Fund applications will be processed in 10 days instead of 30 days
• Disbursement requests can be made every 30 days instead of 60 days
• Information regarding public bidding of work associated with Clean Ohio projects will be made available to small and minority owned businesses

The announcement to make the program more consistent should be great news for everyone who works with the program.  This will allow project developers and governments to tee up projects when they are truly ready versus trying to rush the project to meet the funding deadline. 

With the overall lack of development occurring in Ohio right now due to the poor economy, this is a great time to develop Clean Ohio projects because the next few rounds will likely be less competitive.  This was certainly true for Round 5 in which the State did not even award all the money that was avaiable.

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To quote a consultant I work with..."Times must be tough in Ohio when there is free money left on the table" for redevelopment. 

Today, the Clean Ohio Council met to evaluate the project proposals for Round 5 of the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund.  There was $17 million in grant funding available.  In the previous 4 rounds, CORF was so competitive many projects were left without funding.  As perhaps an indication of the economy, Round 5 was the first time ever all of the money available was not awarded. 

Here is the typical process at the meetings where the Clean Ohio Council makes its decisions about which projects to fund- There is a brief presentation made to the Council about each project. The Council can asked questions to better understand the project or raise concerns.  After the presentations, the members of the Council vote on the project and each project receives an overall score.  The Council breaks for lunch and afterward the Staff of the Ohio Department of Development reveal which projects will get funded.

I used to sit on the Clean Ohio Council and experienced very competitive grant rounds where a number of projects did not get funded.  Due to the time and effort to put a application together, you could hear the audible sighs in the audience from those left out of the money.  No such sighs were heard today....

At today's meeting, Council broke with tradition and did not even bother scoring all the projects.  The total request for all eligible projects was only $12 million of the $17 million available.  Therefore, the Council simply passed a resolution to award all eligible projects the funding they requested. 

I worked on one of the projects that was selected for award.  The project is a great story of a closed manufacturing site getting cleaned up and returned to productive use.  The Clean Ohio program has had many success stories like this in the years it has been operating.  I hope the next round of funding sees renewed interest, it would be a shame to leave "free" redevelopment money on the table that could be put to good use. 

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With very little fanfare, the Department of Commerce put on their web page two documents that change the policy interpretations of the prevailing wage requirements. The "policy interpretation" is controversial.  As reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Republican controlled House and Senate will likely be discussing ways to block the change.

What are Prevailing Wage laws? To offset the low bid public contract requirement,  the ""prevailing wage" law requires wages commonly paid to construction workers in a particular region will determine the minimum wage paid to the same type of workers employed on publicly funded construction projects. (For additional background view the extended entry below)

The Strickland Administration is claiming that the release of the Commerce Department's new guidance document on prevailing wage is a "simple clarification" of existing law.   The spokesman for the Governor said the law was simply "misapplied" to two situations, one of which is brownfield redevelopment projects.  However, many view it as a broad expansion of the applicability of prevailing wage that could drive up construction costs. 

Strickland Administration Frames the Debate: "In recent years there has been no clear approach used by the Department when determining whether publicly-funded construction activity is so intertwined with private construction activity that the activity constitutes a single "project" (triggering prevailing wage) and when they are sufficiently "separate and unrelated" that they constitute separate projects, one publicly supported (which triggers prevailing wage) and one privately financed (which does not trigger prevailing wage).

THE ISSUE: When a Clean Ohio grant pays for remediation work and demolition but the rest of the project development is privately financed, then what portion is covered by prevailing wage?

FROM ADMINISTRATION'S NEW POLICY STATEMENT:  Whenever a public entity contributes funding or other direct support (e.g.-public land) to a project, even an otherwise privately-financed project, prevailing wage must be paid to the workers on the project.

RAMIFICATION ON BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:  Under the Administration's new policy, prevailing wage will apply to all construction work at a site receiving Clean Ohio funds whenever an end-user is identified.  Therefore, if the Clean Ohio grant application includes a commitment to use the site by a new tenant or developer, prevailing wage applies to all construction at the site work.  If no end-user is identified in the application, prevailing wage only applies to remediation work at the site.

DISCUSSION:  It simply is a false distinction to apply prevailing wage on the basis of whether an end user has been identified.  Under Clean Ohio guidelines, grant funds can only pay for :

• environmental remediation (including asbestos abatement)
• demolition
• a portion of the purchase cost of the property (optional under end user track). 

The Clean Ohio guidelines forbid expenditure on building improvements or infrastructure improvements.   If it is illegal to use to program funds for this work, how can prevailing wage be deemed to apply?

Developers will have to run the numbers.  By choosing the "development ready track" (no end-user), applicants can only seek $2 million in state funds versus $3 million for end-user projects.  Developers will be calculating whether overall project costs exceed the extra $1 million available if prevailing wage applies.  Some may say that's acceptable, but if makes less brownfield projects viable that is not a good result for Ohio's cities.

It seems questionable that the Administration can make such a broad change in application of the prevailing wage through a simple "policy interpretation."  Legal challenges or legislative action seems inevitable.

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This picture may be one of the last of the "big three" (Strickland, Husted, and Harris) holding hands over Clean Ohio. Governor Ted Strickland's administration is proposing to mandate prevailing wage for all construction that occurs on land for which the State has funded environmental remediation.  A key political debate is shaping up as to how this change will affect projects funded using brownfield grant funds through the Clean Ohio Program. 

To provide answers a few points must be addressed:

• Which type of Clean Ohio grant funded the project?
• Which costs are at issue?  Remediation costs or construction costs post-clean up?

Clean Ohio recently created a new "redevelopment-ready" grant track.  This is in addition to the "known end-user track."  Apparently, under the proposed policy how much work at a brownfield is covered by prevailing wage will depend upon which grant track your project was funded.  

Under the proposed prevailing wage policy, if your project receives Clean Ohio funding under the "known-end user track" the use of grant funds will "presumptively subject all construction on the entire project to prevailing wage."  However, if the state were to fund the cleanup at the brownfield under the "redevelopment ready track" (i.e. there is no identified end-user of the property), then only the remediation work is subject to prevailing wage. 

According to the Columbus Dispatch,  Speaker Jon Husted expressed concern that application of prevailing wage to brownfield development could drive people to using green space or farmland for development.  What type of cost increases would decrease the attractiveness of public-subsidized redevelopment of brownfield sites?

A Legislative Service Center (LSC) study of the exemption of school projects from prevailing wage concluded it reduced costs by around 10% and saved $487 million.   The conclusions of the LSC study were challenged, so it is difficult to really know whether similar cost increases could occur at brownfield sites.

Here is my take:

• Environmental remediation is an expensive business, application of prevailing wage may not impact the costs associated with this type of clean up work. However, it may be different when dealing with the redevelopment of the site post-clean up (i.e. pure construction work).  It is possible that construction costs at a brownfield could increase by a comparable amount (10%) as was found in the LSC study. 
• A 10% increase in costs is probably unlikely to make most projects that are premised upon receiving public subsidies no longer attractive.  However, why diminish the cost effectiveness of a grant program designed to spur redevelopment in neglected areas. 

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PTIO Program is Launched-  Effective June 30, 2008 Ohio EPA finalized this new permit program which combines the Permit to Install (PTI) and Permit to Operate (PTO) into a single permit for non-Title V facilities.  Facilities will no longer have to apply for a separate PTO.  This program is intended to deal with Ohio EPA's backlog of PTOs which is in the thousands.  Ohio EPA's new PTIO application is up and must be used for new permits.

Electronic Reporting through Air Services- Effective June 30, 2008 Ohio EPA transitioned from its STARship electronic air reporting software to Air Services.  Air Services is part of Ohio EPA's larger effort to transition to more web based business interaction with the regulated community.  Following the release of the Air Services software, both Title V and Synthetic Minor Title V facilities will be required to use the eBusiness Center: Air Services for all emissions reporting, Title V Annual Compliance Certifications, Title V and other permitting applications.

Electronic Reporting of Surface Water Reports-  If you are using paper reporting or SWIMware to submit monthly-operating-reports (MORs) for NPDES permit compliance you need to quickly transition to Ohio EPA's new electronic reporting system.  Ohio EPA indicates it expects to cease accepting MORs by "end of the  summer". SWIMware has been replaced by the new online system called e-DMR, Electronic Discharge Monitoring Reporting System. The term, MORs (Monthly Operating Reports) is now being referred as DMRs (Discharge Monitoring Reports). The new reporting system is entirely web-based and accessible via any internet connection.

Ohio Diesel Grant Awards Announced-  On July 29th the Ohio Department of Development announced the recipients of the grants for diesel retrofit and repower projects for vehicles and fleets.  The award recipients originally submitted applications back in February.  The implementation of the Diesel Emission Reduction Grant (DERG) program was plagued with a number of issues that resulted in the rejection of a large number of applications and delay in announcing awards.  The Ohio Diesel Coalition is working in conjunction with the various State agencies to improve the grant process in the second round.  The Department of Development is expected to release the second request for proposals (RFP) in August. 

Brownfield Redevelopment- Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF)-  As of July 1, 2008 the Ohio Department of Development has begun accepting applications for COAF grants to pay for Phase II site assessments (up to $300,000) and clean ups (up to $750,000) of brownfield properties.  ODOD has approximately $11.4 million to award.  To qualify the property must be in a designated priority investment area (see map).

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On June 4, 2008, the Clean Ohio Council approved two new grant rounds (Rounds 5 and 6) to encourage brownfield redevelopment through its Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF).  As noted in a recent stakeholder report on the Clean Ohio Program, the CORF is "seen as a significant national model that other states strive to replicate."  If you are not familiar with the program, I urge you to take the time to learn about the benefits. 

While the main benefit of the program is that it allows participants to offset clean up costs associated with industrial and commercial properties, there are also significant tax and legal advantages to participation. Attached is a client note that I prepared that provides more detail regarding the program. 

The most significant change made to the program is the creation of a new grant option called the "development ready track."  Now applicants have two options, they can elect to participate in the "known end use track" or the "development ready track."  The major difference is that under the "development ready track" an applicant for grant funds does not need to identify an end user that has committed to the property post clean up and development. 

The "development ready track" favors properties that have potential to attract future economic development.  For example, properties that have existing sewer and water service or are in close proximity to transportation will receive higher scores using the new scoring methodology developed for this track. 

Under the "development ready track" the maximum amount an applicant can request is $2 million instead of the $3 million potentially available under the "known end use track."   You may not use any of the grant funds for acquisition of the property, whereas the "known end use track" allows up to 33% of your total grant request to go toward acquisition. 

Even with these differences, the "development ready track" presents a new opportunity to communities, businesses and developers.  For communities, it provides an opportunity to drive economic growth toward priority development areas.   For developers, it increases the number of properties that could potentially be viable projects.

The new grant application forms can be obtained from the Ohio Department of Development's web page.

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