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

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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The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) contains the highest federal funding yet for the 5 r's of diesel- retrofits, replacements, repowers, replace and refuel.  The competitive announcements for the ARRA Funding for National Diesel Emissions Reduction Program became available on March 20, 2009. Better get your act together if you still want an application in- the deadline is April 28th to submit a request for funding.  If you can't make the deadline there will be normal funding available ($60 million) in the fall. 

Who can file the application?

1. Regional, state, local, tribal or port agency with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality; and
2. Nonprofit organization or institution which:

a) Represents or provides pollution reduction or educational services to persons or organizations that operate diesel fleets; or

b)Has, as its principle purpose, the promotion of transportation or air quality

What will it pay for?

• 75% for engine repowers
• 25% for all replacements except
• 50% for school buses that meet 2010 standards
• 100% for retrofit technologies
• 100% for idle reduction technologies
• 100% for engine upgrades (kits only)
• 100% for incremental cost of cleaner fuels

Much more information is available on U.S. EPA's Region 5's web page.  Just page down to the section on ARRA. 

Helpful information and tips are available from the Diesel Technology Forum.  For example, here is some very helpful advice on addressing one of the more perplexing components of filing a DERA application- calculating jobs retained or created.

How to Calculate Job Creation - Follow the Flow. Finally, the issue which appears to be causing the most apprehension among applicants is the need to demonstrate how a project will preserve or create new jobs. The sheer range of retrofit options (remember the 5 Rs of retrofit: retrofit, rebuild, repower, replace and refuel?) as well as the varying locations and productivity of individual equipment manufacturing facilities make it very challenging to offer solid figures of new jobs added. But don’t despair. Everyone is in the same situation, so applicants are advised to focus on writing a credible, well-reasoned narrative which highlights the general labor/job impacts along every step of the project flow.

For example: project manager oversees grant award, progress, reporting; device manufacturers produce XXX new devices for the grant (incremental increases in manufacturing, packaging, processing, shipping jobs affected); equipment dealer schedules service to install devices (estimated XXX man-hours for mechanics, helpers and administrative); and so on, specific to your project. If you are not installing equipment yourself, you can ask the equipment manufacturer who has helped assess the fleet to provide an estimate of time necessary to conduct the type of installation you’re seeking. A formula which seeks to quantify jobs through use of a multiplier building on study by Keybridge Research is also available at www.meca.org.
 

UPDATE ON OHIO'S DIESEL EMISSION REDUCTION GRANT PROGRAM (DERG)

At $20 million over two years, Ohio had the largest dedicated diesel fund in the entire Midwest.  Ohio received awards for the DERG program.  Round 2 of funding was just completed and the State will be passing out nearly $11 million in funding.  Seemed like a program well worth continuing...

The Diesel Coalition sought to renew the DERG program for another two years at the same level of funding.  Ultimately. H.B. 2 included only $5 million in funding for DERG over the next two fiscal years.  This is a $15 million dollar reduction from the past two years.  While the Legislature included the full $20 million in funding, the Governor issued a line item veto of the funding (see below).

The Ohio Diesel Coalition still intends to request $20 million in funding for DERG in the regular budget bill.  The Coalition, of which I am a member, will be asking that the $15 million designated for the Public Transportation Green Fleets Program in H.B. 2 to be consolidated with DERG. 

Green Fleets are eligible for funding under DERG.  The Coalition believes it would be better to create a single competitive grant program and allow the best and most effective projects to get funding.  Hopefully we can restore funding for this very successful and worthwhile program.

Governor's Veto message in H.B. 2:

SECTION 512.43.

This provision establishes a diesel emission reduction grant program using federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds from the Federal Highway Administration.

This provision would have a negative impact on the Department of Transportation’s operations because it diverts a large portion of available flexible funding to specific purposes.

I have directed the Department to dedicate $5 million toward a diesel emissions reduction program for purposes consistent with the intent of the legislation. This funding will provide assistance to small businesses and disadvantaged business enterprises. Therefore, this veto is in the public interest.
 

(Photo: terinea/everystockphoto.com) 

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So you are about to deploy the first commercial version of your new technology.  Or you are about to select your site for a new renewable or advanced energy project. In ramping up your cleantech project, everything has looked great in small scale trial tests.  You have had great result and are excited to bring this to market as the "next big thing." 

Deployment of new technologies and choosing sites for your renewable energy project can always present major challenges.  What looks good during small scale tests or on paper may prove to be unworkable or too costly in the field. 

How can you better assess your situation and proceed to a smooth launch of your technology or successfully deploy your project?  Here are some suggestions I have developed either from my years as a regulator or in working with clients.  Hopefully, taking careful consideration of some these issues can better position your company and avoid some "unseen enemies." 

1.  Site Selection-  Study closely the practical aspects of various proposed locations for your new facility.  Often company's select a site based upon expected customer demands or other business considerations.  However, prior to moving forward with the significant investment in terms of lease or purchase agreements, permitting, and zoning/building approvals significant investigation should be performed to evaluate the viability of the proposed site.

• What the local zoning and building requirements?
• Transportation routes should be evaluated
• Any significant history with regards to citizen or environmental groups in the area?- Cleantech companies can naively think they are immune to NIMBY concerns only to find themselves immersed in costly and protracted litigation
• Will your project require significant amounts of water?  If so, is there a readily available source or any issues with tapping into that source?

2.  Environmental Permitting and Regulatory Requirements-  Will your source have air or water emissions?  Will you generate significant solid waste or hazardous waste?  You should have an assessment of how environmental permitting and regulatory requirements could impact either the location or configuration of the facility at the site.  You should also know whether environmental requirements are going to impact the ultimate engineering design of your facility.  I have seen companies forced to completely redesign their process because they did not fully incorporate environmental permitting issues into their designs.

• Will you have air emissions at levels that will require pollution controls?
• Are you co-located at a location with an existing air source where EPA requirements may force you to aggregate emissions with that existing source?
• Will you have a wastewater discharge? If so, can you hook into the wastewater treatment system or need a direct discharge.  If hooking into a pre-existing wastewater treatment system what are the pre-treatment requirements. 
  • What if the local wastewater treatment plant is under investigation or a federal consent decree?  Will that result in stricter standards that could drive up your pre-treatment requirements on-site?

3.  Lease Agreement and Construction Documents-  While you may believe you are headed to a wildly successful deployment or expansion, if anything has been shown in the last six months its that the market place is unpredictable.  You should make sure you understand and negotiate termination provisions in your lease agreements, construction documents or other legal documents governing your relationships with customers or business partners.  While you may be very disappointed you have to cancel the project, you may really be frustrated if you find yourself in a costly legal battle with potential customers, contractors and/or property owners.

4. Feasibility Studies-  Make sure when hiring a consultant to perform a feasibility study that  they have the expertise and knowledge regarding the state and local requirements associated with the project.  Many may be familiar with federal requirements, but you need to take into account local site selection issues as well.

• Local ordinances- many renewable energy projects will be highly impacted by local ordinances that contain siting requirements.  Make sure your consultant takes into account the hurdles involved in deploying your project.
• Include assessment of possible environmental market trading mechanisms-  Will you generate CO2 offsets?  Are you deploying renewable energy that could qualify for renewable energy credits?  Is your consultant or project team considering the current market fluctuations in these markets when evaluating whether carbon credits or RECs add to the viability of your project?

5.  Incentives-  It seems every lawyer and consultant is promoting their knowledge regarding availability of federal stimulus funding.  However, don't forget there are many state and even local programs that can provide grants and tax incentives for green businesses and energy.  Make sure you have someone on your project team that has knowledge of these incentives and understands the process for obtaining funds. 

(Photo:jurvetson/everystockphoto.com)

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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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On Friday, November 7th, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) held a bidders conference to launch the Advanced Energy/Job Stimulus Program.  The Job Stimulus package set aside $150 million (over three years) to increase the development, production and use of advanced energy technologies in the state.

Those interested can begin filing applications for either grants or loans through the web portal on OAQDA's web page.  Unlike other competitive programs decisions will be made on a rolling basis, there is no deadline for filing applications.  However, $150 million is not a lot of funding for the types of projects involved, therefore it is likely available funds will dissipate quickly. 

The program has two separate pots of money:

• $66 million for clean coal technology projects administered through OAQDA’s Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO).  Grants can be for up to $5 million for each project  The funding set aside for these projects is similar to other funding opportunities that have been provided by the OCDO.  Proposals will be reviewed by staff, outside reviewers and the Technical Advisory Committee and approved by OAQDA;
• $84 million for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Grants will be awarded in amounts from $50,000 to $250,000.  Loans will be $1 million to $2 million.  Funding will be in three $28 million annual appropriations administered by OAQDA. Projects will be reviewed by staff and outside reviewers, the Development Finance Advisory Council, approved by OAQDA.  Before funding can be awarded Legislative approval is necessary through the Controlling Board.
   

Some of the tips provided to bidders during the conference include:

1. "Tipping Point"-  Explain why a grant award or loan would be the tipping point in the project.  Would it help get the project through a difficult time?  Would funding allow some type of breakthrough? Would it lead to a possible major expansion in Ohio?
2. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs-  The main point of the funding is to stimulate job growth in the Ohio.  Therefore, you must be prepared to demonstrate that the project will generate jobs immediately.  New jobs will be favored over retained jobs.  Better if the are considered "foundational jobs"- meaning the project will lead to more jobs in the future.  Also, want to see better paying jobs.  
3. Leverage- The State wants to see that a grant award will other funding in the project.  Private funding is favored over other public financing.  The higher the leverage the better the application will be viewed. 

Applications can be made through the web portal.  To start the process applicants must only fill out a "letter of intent" which requires only minimal information.  OAQDA said at the bidders conference it is there goal to weed out unfundable projects early in the process. 

One other note, if you are going to pursue a coal grant, be advised that similiar with other funding through the OCDO, you will be required to sign a royalty/payment agreement.  OCDO is required by statute to seek a recovery for investing in research and development projects.  While I understand it is in the statute,  this requirement discourages businesses looking for funding that will accelerate commercial deployment of a proven technology. 

 (Photo: Great Valley Center Image Bank/everystockphoto.com)

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