There was an excellent article in the New York Times discussing the issues homeowners and landowners are facing when signing oil & gas leases- Learning Too Late of the Perils in Oil & Gas Leases.
The Times reviewed 111,000 oil & gas leases from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York Texas and West Virginia. It found
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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.
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
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
Ever since Rapanos, EPA has struggled to consistently apply the "continuous surface connection" and "significant nexus test" which both emerged from the Supreme Court decision. The two tests are to be used to determine whether wetlands fall within federal jurisdiction.
To combat these inconsistencies, the Army Corps (ACOE) has adopted guidance documents to help
In early November, the EPA sent to OMB the next significant regulation governing greenhouse gas emissions. Under the latest rule, EPA would establish CO2 emission standards for new and modified coal-fired power plants.
The new rule is titled the Greenhouse Gas New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for Electric Utility Steam Generating Units. The NSPS standards are based
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Back in June, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Sackett v. EPA which could forever change the way EPA enforcement actions are defended. While the case involves an EPA administrative enforcement order for unauthorized filling of a wetland, the ruling potentially impacts EPA enforcement under all its major statutes- RCRA (hazardous waste), Clean Air
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
The Diesel Emission Reduction Grant program (DERG) funds clean diesel projects, including diesel exhaust retrofits, engine repowers and replacements. The program is intended to provide voluntary funding to reduce diesel emissions to assist Ohio in meeting federal air quality standards.
The more voluntary reductions for vehicles the less reductions are needed from industry to meet
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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