The final budget bill will be signed by Governor Kasich by June 30. Join us for this brief webinar to learn what’s in, what’s out, and just how clean and green the final budget bill is.
Originally Aired: July 1, 2013 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
1. Unpacking the Green (+ Not
So Green) new Ohio Budget
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2. Jack
Shaner
Deputy
Director
Melanie
Houston
Director of
Water Policy +
Environmental
Health
Kristen
Kubitza
Director of
Water Policy +
Outreach
Unpacking the Green (+ Not
So Green) new Ohio Budget
Trent Dougherty
Managing
Director of
Legal Affairs
Joe Logan
Director of
Agricultural
Programs
3. Ohio Environmental Council
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environmental advocate for a healthier, more sustainable Ohio.
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quality of life for families and communities—from the air we
breathe and the water we drink to the food we eat and natural
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strengthen the quality of life for families and communities in
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4. THE BUDGET “BOX SCORE”
1. Clean Ohio Fund – GRAND SLAM
2. Lake Erie + Grand Lake St. Marys toxic algae clean up –
BASES-CLEARING TRIPLE
3. ―Tread + Mow on Me‖ Amendment – CAUGHT STEALING
4. Oil+Gas Division funding+―Dump+Glow‖+―Brine Discharge
Amnesty‖ Amendments – BUNT+BIG ERROR+WILD PITCH
5. Coal mining regulation + miner safety – BALK
6. Ohio EPA emergency response – STIKE OUT
7. Public transit + freight rail development – STIKE OUT +
WALK + FOUL BALL CAUGHT IN FOUL TERRITORY
8. Green chemistry – THROWN OUT AT THE PLATE
9. Public records – SINGLE UP THE MIDDLE
10. Clean energy – EJECTED FROM THE GAME
5. 1. Clean Ohio Fund – GRAND SLAM
Objective: Get full $52MM.
Result: House + Senate
added $26MM each –
BASES LOADED HOME
RUN BY LAWMAKERS
House plan to share state
park drilling $ - OUT
House plan for Clean Ohio +
brownfield funding study
commission – OUT
Lawmakers got ‗er done,
polishing off the final $52MM
in voter-approved bonding.
6. 2. Lake Erie + Inland Lake Clean Up –
BASES-CLEARING TRIPLE
Challenge: reduce nutrient loadings to
stop harmful algal blooms - harmful to
people, pets, sport fishing, tourism
Solution: ID nutrient sources + apply
clean-up ―prescriptions‖
Actions taken:
House established Lake Facilities Authority
to fund local lake clean up
House added $570k for Ohio Sea Grant +
$500k for Heidelberg U. Water Quality Lab
Senate added $600,000 to Healthy Lake
Erie fund for stepped-up water monitoring
Kasich Administration + G.A.
making solid progress on their
pledge to stop toxic algae
7. 3. “Tread + Mow on Me Amendment” –
CAUGHT STEALING
Would have: Let private
property owners mow
grass + vegetation in city-
owned buffer strip along
reservoir or protected
streams
Undercut efforts to
protect drinking water
reservoirs + targeted
headwater streams from
runoff + soil erosion
Wasted ratepayer dollars
Public Reservoir + Water Quality Protection
VETOED BY GOVERNOR
KASICH
*Photo Courtesy Columbus Public Utilities
8. 4. Oil+Gas Oversight Funding + Radioactive Waste and
Brine Disposal: Bunt + Big Error + Wild Pitch
ODNR Division of Oil + Gas budget doubled
General Assembly adopted Gov.’s proposal for
disposal of radioactive waste in solid-waste landfills
Narrow definition of TENORM will exempt bulk of radioactive-laced
wastes—especially drill cuttings—from testing for regulatory threshold
USEPA, National Academy of Sciences, American National Standards
Institute all recognize drill cuttings as TENORM
Ohio following Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, which
recognizes drilling muds, sludge, waste water, filters, etc., as TENORM but
exempts drill cuttings (+brine) the largest + most radioactive of drilling
wastes. Also mixing or ―down-blending‖ of waste to dilute radioactivity.
“Brine Discharge Amnesty” Amendment allows certain
waste treatment operators to evade permitting
9. 5. Coal Mining Regulation + Miner Safety
BALK
House + Senate adopted Gov.‘s proposal for $2.5MM/FY in
GRF for combined regulatory oversight + miner safety
Mine safety previously was funded at $3M/year; now must
share less funds with the Coal Regulatory program
Potential threat to environment + miner safety
Also puts more burden on taxpayers, instead of industry
Gov. Taft shifted Ohio EPA off of GRF. Industry
fees + Feds fund regulatory oversight for
most industries. Gov. Kasich should follow
suit, make coal industry pay its own way.
10. 6. Ohio EPA Emergency Response
STRIKE OUT
The Ohio EPA‘s Emergency
Response Program and its 15 staff
are on call 24/7/365 to respond,
contain + investigate releases +
spills to the environment.
Yet their vehicles have no legal
authority to use sirens or lights!
This can slow the response and put
OEPA emergency responders in
harm‘s way.
The solution: Amend ORC 4511.01(E) to
define Ohio EPA Emergency Response
vehicles ―public safety vehicles‖
11. 7. Public Transit + Freight Rail Development STRIKE OUT
+ WALK + FOUL BALL CAUGHT IN FOUL TERRITORY
3 “pitches” by OEC:
Boost funding for public transit + Ohio Rail
Development Commission
Require ODOT to survey local transit agencies
+ MPOs for future operational + capital
costs/benefits
Reject Senate ―Beavercreek Amendment‖ to
require transit agency to get permission of
local city before expanding service
RESULT:
STRIKE OUT: No change in funding - public
transportation + freight rail stuck at $7.3M/FY
+ $2M/FY, respectively
WALK: ODOT updating Ohio‘s long-range
transportation plan, Access Ohio 2040
FOUL BALL CAUGHT IN FOUL TERRITORY:
Gov. Kasich VETOED ―Beavercreek Amendment‖
12. 8. Green Chemistry
THROWN OUT AT THE PLATE
Senate earmarked $500,000 for
BioOhio to fund the Bioscience
Workforce Development
Initiative
Bioscience includes
engineering products
without toxic byproducts,
such as making plastic from
crops instead of oil
Gov. Kasich VETOED
this earmark
13. 9. Public Records
SINGLE UP THE MIDDLE
Ohio Senate added provision to
require the Ohio Department of
Administrative Services to develop
and propose standards for the posting
of a public record on an agency
website by a public office so that the
information may be secured and
downloaded in a uniform manner
Public needs ability to easily access
public records to help hold agencies
accountable for enforcing the law
14. 10. Clean Energy
EJECTED FROM THE GAME
Senate considered, but did
not include, an amendment to
let utilities ask the PUCO for
permission to change an
already approved energy-
efficiency plan
OEC + partners continue to
work to repel any
weakening of Ohio‘s energy
efficiency or renewable
energy standards
15. July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015
Going forward:
- OEC will watchdog program
implementation
- OEC will be engaged in rule
making
To learn more:
- www.theOEC.org
- OEC testimony
- OEC veto requests
- OEC action alerts
Melanie: Provide basic definition of TENORM, bit of background on what the bill is trying to do, why the bill falls far short (the problems) and explain how definition should be changed to capture more of the radioactive shale gas wastes (including drill cuttings)