Yearly Archives: 2015

Area teachers will be able to learn about and expose their students to a beaver lodge exhibit thanks to work being done by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) at its Grand River Conservation Campus, Morgan Swamp Preserve. With financial assistance from Ohio EPA, TNC will design and build a beaver lodge exhibit in an existing building at the Morgan Swamp Preserve site

Ohio EPA has issued the final 2016 Program Management Plan and Project Priority List for the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF). The fund provides financial and technical assistance for a variety of projects, addressing the quality of Ohio's rivers, streams, lakes and other water bodies.

Bellville will construct baffles within clarifiers, and add a mixing system to an existing aerobic digester used at the treatment plant. Funding will also allow for the replacement of the Greenbriar Lift Station, which has been used far beyond its design life. The improvements will alleviate water quality impacts in Clear Fork, a tributary to the Mohican River.

Central Ohio inventory continues to remain at a record low – lower than any year since 2000. The total inventory of homes for sale during the month of November in central Ohio was 6,976, a decrease of 9.3 percent from the previous month and 16.3 percent lower than November 2014, according to the Columbus REALTORS Multiple Listing Service.

The city will separate storm sewer flows from the sanitary sewer system by installing new sanitary sewers, a major underground storage basin, a new pump station and force main, and a back-up power generator. Currently, the combined sewer allows untreated wastewater to escape from the sewer system. This project is part of Norwalk’s combined sewer overflow long-term control plan

The Northwestern Water and Sewer District will conduct an audit of its public water system to determine the extent of water loss and lost revenue due to leaks, meter problems, billing issues and unmetered usage. A low-interest loan from Ohio EPA is assisting in the financing of the project.

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced that the Omnibus Appropriations bill being considered in the Senate includes funding for new opportunities to help Ohio, Michigan, and other states impacted by the housing crisis revitalize their neighborhoods. It does this by giving Treasury the flexibility to transfer as much as $2 billion to the Hardest Hit Fund, which focuses on demolishing vacant and blighted structures which pose a growing threat to the public safety and economic well-being of our communities

Ohio Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor is urging Ohioans to conduct an insurance review with their agent before severe winter weather arrives. Taylor also advises that people prepare their properties and vehicles to reduce the risk of damage.

With local communities seeking cost-effective approaches to upgrading wastewater systems, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) today announced that they have introduced the Clean Water Compliance and Affordability Act that would establish a national pilot program to ensure that the most innovative and cost-efficient solutions are available to local communities when complying with Clean Water Act standards.

the House passed a long-term highway funding bill, which included H.R. 299 – the Capital Access for Small Community Financial Institutions Act of 2015 – introduced in January by Representative Steve Stivers (R – OH) and Representative Joyce Beatty (D – OH). H.R. 299 provides regulatory relief for small, community-based enterprises in an effort to boost the housing market.

“Between CPP and the Waters of the United States rule, the EPA has not met a massive power-grab it doesn’t like. Once again, this administration is abusing executive authority to implement a radical anti-energy agenda at the expense of hard-working Ohio families. Analysis of this plan has already concluded that the CPP will increase the price of electricity, and to move forward with implementation is irresponsible. I applaud the 26 states, including Ohio, suing the Obama Administration to stop this federal overreach.”

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) released the following statement regarding the U.S. House of Representative’s passage of S.J. Res 23 and S.J. Res 24. The resolutions disapprove the two final rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for new and existing power plants

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) and State Conservationist Terry Cosby of the United States Department of Agriculture toured Wood County farms to learn about various practices utilized to improve conservation and water management in farming.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, outlined legislation to improve programs for homeless veterans and their families in East Cleveland today.

Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) is pleased to announce the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Case Western Reserve University $1.4 million under the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) OPEN 2015 program.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, outlined legislation to improve programs for homeless veterans and their families in Warren today. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, about 12 percent of the adult homeless population is comprised of veterans.

On Wednesday, November 18, 2015, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) Board approved more than $23.4 million for affordable housing initiatives across the state of Ohio, including:

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of their initial strategic plan to assess risks associated with algal toxins in public drinking water as required under legislation authored by Rep. Latta, H.R. 212, The Drinking Water Protection Act

The markets that were selected for the initiative’s expansion are Metropolitan Statistical Areas in which Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each had at least 100 real estate owned properties valued at less than $75,000. The selected Ohio markets include Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland-Elyria, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo. Nationwide, the following areas have been designated for the initiative

The Endowment’s grant will offer farmers and private landowners another option in addition to the agricultural conservation practices already in use through the program on farms in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Forested buffers are an effective way to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus from entering waterways. Forests also offer the promise of increased income from hunting leases, timber products, and carbon sequestration. Increasing forests in this area will also provide important benefits for wildlife.