August 4, 2022
Our Mission: Power A Clean Future Ohio is building momentum now for a clean, prosperous future by equipping local leaders for equitable, community-driven carbon reductions in Ohio.
Power a Clean Future Ohio Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee on Local Costs of Climate Change
On Thursday, August 4, Power a Clean Future Ohio Executive Director Joe Flarida delivered expert testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs during its hearing, “Borrowed Time: The Economic Costs of Climate Change.” 

US Senator and Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown invited Flarida to present the findings from a first-of-its-kind report released by the Ohio Environmental Council, Power A Clean Future Ohio, and Scioto Analysis. The Bill is Coming Due: Calculating the Financial Cost of Climate Change to Ohio’s Local Governments provides a conservative estimate of the additional costs that municipalities can expect to incur due to climate change. According to the analysis, local governments across Ohio will need to increase municipal spending by as much as $5.9 billion annually by midcentury to adapt to the challenges of a worsening climate crisis.

“Local governments are burdened with the most challenging public problems we face. They are the eyes that see these problems first, the voices that raise the alarm when we reach a tipping point, and the hands that are asked to implement the solutions we identify,” testified Flarida. “Today, I am here to lift up those Ohio elected leaders and the tireless staff in cities and counties across Ohio that are raising the alarm on the financial costs of climate change that they see coming.”

The climate damages considered in the report are projected to only intensify in approaching decades, generating new costs associated with climate-driven disaster recovery and adaptation, and creating a major strain on already overstretched taxpayers and cash-strapped local governments.

“Climate change is here. The country knows it,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Committee Chairman, as he called the hearing to order. “Ask mayors, ask school superintendents, ask county commissioners about the increasing costs they deal with already because of climate change — costs we know will only get worse — and we know who will be forced to pay for these costs. It’s not the oil companies making record profits… it’s the local taxpayers. The likely impact of climate change could cost people in my state $6 billion a year.”

For more information on the report, click here.
To watch the hearing, click here.
Local Action Update:
South Euclid Joins Power A Clean Future Ohio
At a recent South Euclid City Council meeting, councilmembers unanimously adopted a resolution to join Power a Clean Future Ohio, underscoring the community’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. PCFO will work with local leaders to provide technical assistance and partnerships to help staff as they develop a roadmap for the City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% of 2010 levels by 2030 and to proactively seek input from the community in developing and promoting the plan. With passage of this resolution, the City of South Euclid became the 34th community to join Power a Clean Future Ohio. 

Cassandra Clevenger, Deputy Director of Power a Clean Future Ohio said, “We look forward to providing leaders and community members throughout the City of South Euclid with the tools and resources to create and implement plans that result in a cleaner environment while also saving money and improving overall quality of life for residents.”
Ohio ranks 8th among states when it comes to solar-related jobs
According to the recently released National Solar Jobs Census 2021, the solar power industry in Ohio added 879 jobs in 2021. That is a 13.5% increase over 2020, totaling the number of sector jobs in the state to 7,411 and ranking Ohio as eighth. 

Ohio’s job numbers are supported by the presence of First Solar, which has a solar panel plant south of Toledo, said Larry Sherwood, president and CEO of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. Over the past decade, employment in the sector has doubled and there are now twice as many workers than currently in the coal industry. “Looking back to 2019, solar jobs grew 2% over the two-year period, including a 5% growth in the installation sector. As such, the 2021 growth represents a recovery from a decline in solar jobs that can be largely attributed to the pandemic,” states an executive summary included with the census.

To read more, click here.
PCFO INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT SNAPSHOTS
Federal Funding: Find it here!
Visit the PCFO IGAP Webinar page to review notes from the BIL Guidebook Introduction, Electric Vehicles, Public Transportation, and Clean Energy and Power webinars. These notes include information on the federal departments’ goals, funding opportunities, and available links to program pages.

If you are interested in applying or need PCFO’s support please contact Sarah Spence, IGAP Coordinator, at sarah@ohcef.org with any questions.

Are you looking to grow clean energy jobs in your community? The Advancing Equity Through Workforce Partnerships funding opportunity will provide grants to develop collaborative workforce programs that will facilitate the rapid deployment of solar energy technologies while supporting an inclusive workforce with opportunities for union membership. This opportunity will enable more members of disadvantaged communities and energy justice populations to pursue careers in the solar energy industry.
 
Has a part of your community been cut off from a previous transportation project? The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program is the first-ever Federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. The program provides technical assistance and grant funding for planning and capital construction to address infrastructure barriers, restore community connectivity, and improve peoples’ lives.

The Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC) provides planning support, technical assistance, and training to communities to foster placemaking activities in rural communities. Placemaking is a collaborative engagement process that helps leaders from rural communities create quality places where people will want to live, work, play and learn. Funds can help enhance capacity for broadband access, preserve cultural and historic structures, and support the development of transportation, housing, and recreational spaces.

Administered through the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $1B to carry out activities to improve the resilience, safety, reliability, and availability of energy and provide environmental protection from adverse impacts of energy generation in rural and remote communities with populations of 10,000 or less. Eligible projects may include: (A) Overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems; (B) siting or upgrading transmission and distribution lines; (C) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas; (D) providing or modernizing electric generation facilities; (E) developing microgrids; and (F) increasing energy efficiency. DOE anticipates emphasizing grid reliability and resiliency for the funding, and will conduct stakeholder engagement over the next few months to inform the structure of the program.

The Bridge Investment Program provides funding opportunities across three categories: (1) Planning; (2) Bridge Projects; and (3) Large Bridge Projects. The goals of the BIP are: (1) to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges; (2) to improve the condition of bridges in the United States; and (3) to provide financial assistance that leverages and encourages nonFederal contributions from sponsors and stakeholders involved in the planning, design, and construction of eligible projects. 

The FHWA released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes regulations setting minimum standards and requirements for projects funded under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program and projects for the construction of publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The standards and requirements proposed would apply to the installation, operation, or maintenance of EV charging infrastructure; the interoperability of EV charging infrastructure; traffic control device or on-premises signage acquired, installed, or operated in concert with EV charging infrastructure; data, including the format and schedule for the submission of such data; network connectivity of EV charging infrastructure; and information on publicly available EV charging infrastructure locations, pricing, real-time availability, and accessibility through mapping applications. 

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from stakeholders on issues related to the demonstration of clean energy projects on mine land. DOE is specifically interested in information on how demonstration programs can be implemented to stimulate private sector follow-on investments and deliver maximum benefits in terms of high-quality job creation, local and regional economic development, environmental justice and greenhouse gas emission reductions. 

DOE issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather feedback on the implementation of energy storage demonstration programs. These energy storage programs will provide the opportunity to accelerate commercialization for energy technologies by: (1) demonstrating the technologies at scale; and (2) partnering with community and industry stakeholders so they can best adopt and benefit from these technologies.

The purpose of Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan development and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, personal conveyance and micromobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and is designed to meet the needs of diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering Federal funding. 

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is providing a technical assistance series aimed at K-12 schools that are interested in electrifying their school buses. The “Flipping the Switch on Electric School Buses” is a multi-part webinar series that covers topics including: 1) Electric School Bus Introduction; 2) Working with Electric Utilities; 3) Vehicle Requirements; 4) Charging Infrastructure; 5) Infrastructure Planning and Solutions; 6) Vehicle In Use Performance; 7) Driver and Technician Training; and 8) Cost Factors. These technical assistance resources can provide targeted training for school officials to prepare and plan for electric school buses. School officials can utilize these resources to stay competitive for all funding opportunities under the Clean School Bus Program from 2022-2026.
Upcoming Events
CHGT Speaker Series on Climate Action
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at 7:00 p.m., Cleveland Heights High School, 13263 Cedar Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH, 44118

Communities across Ohio are partnering with Power A Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) to create carbon reduction plans and implement them in ways that are achievable, measurable, equitable, and economical.

In this forum we will explore how PCFO empowers local leaders with tools and resources that are tailored to address each community's unique needs. The conversation will provide details on PCFO's partnership with Cleveland Heights, University Heights, and Shaker Heights. Residents will have ample opportunity to ask questions and interact with the panelists.

The forum will be moderated by Brian Siggers, Advocacy Director, Ohio Environmental Council.
 
For more information, click here.
Interested in getting started? Join today!
PCFO is an expansive, diverse coalition engaging with cities and local governments across the state of Ohio to build a clean future for our communities. Power A Clean Future Ohio is empowering local leaders with tools and resources to create carbon reduction plans and implement them in ways that are achievable, measurable, equitable and economical. 
 
Our coalition of expert organizations wants to share our technical expertise and resources with your community. If your community wants to work on plans to reduce emissions, attract business investment, implement equitable clean energy policy, and reduce costs – contact us today to set up a meeting!
 
If your business or organization would like to support PCFO, we invite you to join the campaign as a PCFO Partner. Contact us for more details.
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