Unpacking the Final State Budget Bill

Unpacking the Green (+ Not So Green) new Ohio Budget

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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

Ohio Environmental Council

The OEC is Ohio’s most comprehensive, effective and respected environmental advocate for a healthier, more sustainable Ohio.

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strengthen the quality of life for families and communities in Ohio.

Become a member today at www.theOEC.org.

THE BUDGET “BOX SCORE”

1. Clean Ohio Fund – GRAND SLAM2. Lake Erie + Grand Lake St. Marys toxic algae clean up – BASES-CLEARING TRIPLE3. “Tread + Mow on Me” Amendment – CAUGHT STEALING4. Oil+Gas Division funding+“Dump+Glow”+“Brine Discharge Amnesty” Amendments – BUNT+BIG ERROR+WILD PITCH5. Coal mining regulation + miner safety – BALK6. Ohio EPA emergency response – STRIKE OUT7. Public transit + freight rail development – STRIKE OUT + WALK + FOUL BALL CAUGHT IN FOUL TERRITORY8. Green chemistry – THROWN OUT AT THE PLATE9. Public records – SINGLE UP THE MIDDLE10. Clean energy – EJECTED FROM THE GAME

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.

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

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

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

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 safetyAlso 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.

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”

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”

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

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

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

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

Q & A - Feedback