On December 14, 2021, Ohio‘s Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced the launch of a new grant program to help communities in Ohio’s 88 counties remediate brownfield sites to help revitalize their economic future.
The new Brownfield Remediation Program will provide nearly $350 million in grants to clean up industrial, commercial, and institutional brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled, or underutilized due to a known or potential release of hazardous substances or petroleum.
“It’s critically important that we help our local communities clean up these crumbling, hazardous brownfield properties to make way for redevelopment and future economic growth,” said Governor DeWine. “This new program is an investment in the success of every county in our state that will benefit Ohioans today and for generations to come.”
The Brownfield Remediation Program was created with the support of the Ohio General Assembly, which funded the program as part of the 2021 state biennium budget bill, House Bill 110. The program is administered by the Ohio Department of Development.
“We’re attracting companies to Ohio because of our low taxes and excellent business climate, but they need sites to set up shop,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “Cleaning up brownfield sites turns the blight into bright new opportunities to attract investment, business, and jobs.”
“Remediating contaminated sites is an expensive endeavor that is often cost-prohibitive to Ohio communities,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. “Cleaning up these sites will remove dangerous and blighted properties from our communities and allow for future economic development.”
Projects that assess or remediate brownfield properties are eligible for funding. Units of local government, including counties, townships, municipal corporations, port authorities, conservancy districts, park districts, or other similar park authorities are eligible to apply.
Other eligible applicants include county land reutilization corporations, nonprofit organizations, or organizations for profit. Entities that contributed to the contamination of properties are not eligible to apply.
The Brownfield Remediation Program is part of Governor DeWine’s Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses on supporting targeted solutions that impact quality of life, such as water infrastructure improvements, broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, the demolition of blighted buildings, and more.
As required by House Bill 110, funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure that all of Ohio’s 88 counties benefit from the program, $1 million has been appropriated for every county.
Photos courtesy of Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Learn more about Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program and apply for funding here.