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Ohio EPA today issued a notice of violation to the village of Sebring for failure to correctly communicate recent test results and guidance to those homeowners who requested voluntary water sampling and failing to submit its required weekly report on water chemistry. A copy of that violation can be viewed here.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and 169 of the 180 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

Ohio EPA received another round of test results today from homeowners in the village of Sebring who asked to have their tap water tested and 144 of the 150 samples were below the federal allowable limit for lead. Ohio EPA ordered the village of Sebring on January 21 to offer free water testing for any homeowner who asked and will make those results public as they are received.

Working to protect the drinking water in Michigan, Ohio, and other states, Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) yesterday co-sponsored an amendment he helped to negotiate with Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) designed to address lead exposure to drinking systems around the country. The amendment was the product of bipartisan negotiations over the last week, and would help Flint, Michigan and other states that have emergency water crises. Portman issued the following statement

Recent water samples taken by the village of Sebring for homeowners who asked to have their tap water tested show lead levels in most homes are below the federal allowable limit. Of the 54 water samples collected from 53 homes since Ohio EPA required the village to continue to offer testing of residential water on Jan. 21, 2016, 54 samples tested below the federal allowable level.

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) joined Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) today in introducing the Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act in response to safe drinking water emergencies like we are seeing in Sebring, Ohio and Flint, Michigan

Today, the House Energy and Power Subcommittee held a hearing on Congressman Bill Johnson’s (R-Marietta) Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (BRICK Act). The legislation will officially be introduced this week.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested information from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about foreclosure-prevention options available to homeowners through the Distressed Asset Stabilization Program

The City of Geneva will install a new metering system for residential and commercial water meters while making use of a low-interest loan from Ohio EPA. Geneva will replace obsolete city-owned water meters with a new automated meter reading system. The improvements will assure accurate billing and provide reliable water delivery.

Niles will rehabilitate, expand and upgrade its wastewater treatment plant to increase wet weather storage and treatment capacity using a loan from Ohio EPA. The project will improve water quality in the Mahoning River.

Extensive water samples taken by Ohio EPA Sunday evening at three local schools near Sebring show that 121 of the 123 samples are below the federal allowable level, and those that were above the federal allowable level are contained to drinking water fountains, not the incoming water supply to the building.

In 2015, residential real estate experienced its best year since the Great Recession ended in 2009. Although inventory could still use a jolt, demand was healthy throughout the year and there was enough supply to keep the engine strong.

Ohio EPA is accepting nominations to finance drinking water infrastructure improvements through the Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA). Ohio EPA will continue to offer up to $50 million in no interest loans for public drinking water systems (that use surface water as a source) for projects to treat cyanotoxins associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)

As the village of Sebring makes changes to its water chemistry to reduce corrosion in homeowners’ piping, new water sampling results show progress as 25 of the 28 homes where water samples were taken are below the federal guidelines. In addition, 15 water samples were taken at three local schools and all but one sample was lower than the allowable level

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced that the Senate will consider hisEnergy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC) next week. ESIC has received widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans as well as industry leaders, energy-efficiency advocates and environmental stakeholders because it reduces pollution, saves consumers money and creates jobs. Portman introduced this legislation with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

Regarding today’s announcement that FFP New Hydro LLC can move forward with four hydropower projects on the Muskingum River, including the Malta Lock & Dam Water Power Project and the Rokeby Lock & Dam Water Power Project, all of the following may be attributed to Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH)

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) today voted in support of S.J.Res.22, providing for congressional disapproval of the “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The WOTUS rule, which was finalized in June 2015, significantly expands the scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act over virtually all waters and wet areas in the country.

The opportunity for this generation to buy a first home has been thwarted by sluggish income growth in the job market often made worse by the overcharge of student loan debt. That debt has put homeownership out of reach for millions of creditworthy borrowers.

The Justice Department announced today that Kent State University (KSU) has agreed to pay $145,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit alleging that the university had maintained a policy of not allowing students with psychological disabilities to keep emotional support animals in university-operated student housing.  Under the settlement agreement, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, KSU will

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