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. |
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Cleveland Votes to Move Forward with Clean Energy Aggregation |
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Cleveland City Council voted Monday night to move forward with a clean energy aggregation program through the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC). The SOPEC Electric Aggregation Program provides 100% renewable energy to all First Energy customers in Cleveland by default. It makes it possible for the city to reach its environmental and clean energy goals and prioritize public health and environmental justice, while also achieving significant monetary savings. This is a rare win-win-win moment.
According to city officials, if all goes as planned the program will be able to start with August meter reads. As a result, customers will likely see their bills drop by more than 40% as a result of the aggregation program starting later this summer.
PCFO supported the city in the planning and RFP process and we are looking forward to continuing our work with Cleveland to ensure this program is a success.
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Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) to Provide $4 Billion in Tax Credits for Clean Energy Projects |
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A three-way partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will provide up to $4 billion in tax credits to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing and bring communities up to speed in the transition to clean energy technologies.
Known as Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credits, or 48C, the first round of credits being allocated are intended to support projects that expand clean energy manufacturing, support renewable energy technology projects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at industrial facilities.
As part of an overall $10 billion investment included in the recent Inflation Reduction Act, the 48C credits aim to benefit both the environment and the economy through the stimulation of domestic clean energy manufacturing while creating new, green economy jobs.
Of the $4 billion in credits being made available in the first round of allocations, $1.6 billion will be set aside for projects in designated energy communities - those that have experienced the closure of coal plants or mines, but that retain an existing infrastructure and workforce suited to the rigors of clean energy manufacturing.
Those interested in applying to request a credit allocation must meet submission requirements as well as the July 31, 2023 concept paper submission deadline. Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:
- commercial viability,
- greenhouse gas emissions impacts,
- workforce and community engagement, and
- strengthening U.S. supply chains and domestic manufacturing for a net-zero economy.
DOE and Treasury have announced a virtual informational webinar for potential applicants on June 27, 2023, at 2 p.m. ET. This webinar will provide information about how to prepare and submit the concept paper. A link to the webinar will be made available on June 12, 2023. Questions about the program can be directed via email to: InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov.
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Six Ohio School Districts Receive Electric Buses Through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program |
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The U.S. EPA’s new Clean School Bus program recently awarded electric school buses to six Ohio school districts including Amanda Clearcreek Local Schools, Bradford Exempted Village School District, Eastern Local School District, Madison-Plains Local School District, Toledo Public Schools and Zenith Academy West. The Clean School Bus program is funded with $5 billion in federal dollars that will be distributed over five years to school districts nationwide. This year the EPA reports the program will provide 389 school districts with roughly 2,400 clean-energy school buses.
The EPA estimates that school buses travel nearly four billion miles each year, providing safe transportation to and from school for more than 25 million American children. Since most school buses run on diesel fuel - a known carcinogen - their emissions can result in significant negative health and climate consequences. The Clean School Bus program aims to address this issue by helping schools to replace the oldest and dirtiest fuel-burning buses with newer, clean-energy models.
The EPA is currently gearing up for a second round of Clean School Bus grant program funding. Districts have until Aug. 22 to apply for the program using a competitive grant process. A link to the application is included in the IGAP Grant Snapshots section of this newsletter below.
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Ohio Community Solar Bill Introduced in the Ohio General Assembly |
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Ohio State Representatives Jim Hoops and Sharon Ray introduced a Community Solar Pilot Program in the Ohio House of Representatives. If passed, House Bill 197 will create Ohio’s first Community Solar Pilot Program. For the first time, solar power would be available for renters, condominiums, townhomes, and most small to medium-sized businesses that cannot install rooftop solar. The Community Solar Pilot Program makes it possible for every Ohioan to get access to local clean renewable solar energy.
Community solar offers the benefit of solar to those who can’t or prefer not to, install panels on their own home. Community solar allows individuals, businesses, or organizations to buy or subscribe to a “share” in a local solar project. When you join a community solar project, you receive a credit on your electric bill each month. The size of your share determines how much credit you receive. This can provide meaningful savings on utility bills, usually from 10-20%.
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PCFO INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT SNAPSHOTS
Federal Funding: Find it here!
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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 Cassandra Clevenger, IGAP Coordinator, at cassandra@poweracleanfuture.org with any questions.
The Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) program aims to develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans. Proposed projects can be located in all community types including rural, urban and suburban.
Application Deadline: June 15, 2023
Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Ride and Drive Electric Program aims to address discrete challenges to a convenient, affordable, reliable, secure, and equitable EV charging network by enhancing institutional capacity, encouraging holistic approaches, fostering inclusive and equitable outcomes, and ensuring a world-class customer experience.
Concept papers due: June 16, 2023
Full applications due: July 28, 2023
Created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program aims to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan development and refinement and implementation focused on all users.
Application Deadline: July 10, 2023
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) is a capacity-building prize focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in existing buildings through energy efficiency and efficient electrification. In Phase 1, Buildings UP will award over $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance.
Application Deadline: July 18, 2023
Brownfields Job Training Grants support programs that recruit, train, and retain a local, skilled workforce by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed residents to obtain the skills and credentials needed for pathways into full-time employment in hazardous and solid waste management and across the larger environmental field.
Application Deadline: August 2, 2023
Created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program aims to fund projects that address the climate crisis by improving the resilience of the surface transportation system, including highways, public transportation, ports, and intercity passenger rail. By funding projects that improve resilience to natural hazards and climate change impacts, thePROTECT Discretionary Grant Program aims to reduce damage and disruption to the transportation system, improve the safety of the traveling public, and improve equity by addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities that are often the most vulnerable to hazards.
Application deadline: August 18, 2023
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing $400 million in grants to incentivize and accelerate the replacement of existing school buses with clean and zero-emissions school buses through the 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program.
Application Deadline: August 22, 2023
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Dispatch Column: Clean Energy Columbus Program Plays a Key Role in Establishing City as a Climate and Sustainability Leader |
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Ohio’s capital city can proudly boast that its Clean Energy Columbus program is the largest renewable electricity aggregation program in the Midwest. Since it was approved by a city-wide ballot initiative in 2020, the program has saved 1.2 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year.
A key feature of the program is that it seeks electric aggregation for 100% renewable energy with a goal of ensuring that the energy be supplied locally. Not only has this moved the city forward toward its Climate Action Plan pledge to cut city-wide emissions by 45% by 2030, it also jump-started a blossoming clean energy industry across the state.
Couple the success of the Clean Energy Columbus program with the city’s efforts to enhance energy efficiency, focus on renewable energy sources, make public transit cleaner and more sustainable, switch to electric vehicles and encourage recycling, and Columbus comes out as a clear leader among U.S. cities in climate stewardship.
Read the full guest column here.
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Ohio is updating its deployment plan for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. Join DriveOhio and other regional planning partners to hear about their progress and offer feedback on candidate charging locations and other plan updates.
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI)
- Friday, June 9, 2023 - 11:00 AM
- 720 E. Pete Rose Way, Suite 420, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Trotwood Branch of the Dayton Metropolitan Library
- Friday, June 9, 2023 - 3:00 PM
- 855 E. Main St., Trotwood, OH 45426
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)
- Monday, June 12, 2023 - 12:00 PM
- 111 Liberty St., Suite 100, Columbus, OH 43215
Athens Community Center
- Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - 3:00 PM
- 701 E. State St., Athens, OH 45701
Tri-C Community College
- Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 11:00 AM
- Jerry Sue Thorton Center, Ford Room | 2500 E. 22nd St., Cleveland, OH 44115
Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Govenments (TMACOG)
- Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 11:00 AM
- 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Grand Lobby, Toledo, OH 43604
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June 14 | 1-4:30 p.m.
DOE is seeking stakeholder input about a potential workforce program aimed at ensuring that historic investments in clean energy result in high-quality, accessible careers. Join this virtual workshop to learn about the program concept and discuss ideas about the quality of jobs in the growing field of clean energy development.
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Interested in getting started? Join today! |
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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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