DevelopOhio

A collaboration between officials in Ohio and Michigan could lead to a $1.25 billion grant for a Clean Hydrogen Hub in northern Ohio, the Sandusky Register reports. U.S. House members Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) and Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a former Michigan governor, “asking for her support for the Great Lakes Hub proposal,” according to the article. The Biden administration’s infrastructure bill “had $7 billion to create six to 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs” in the United States; each winner “could receive up to $1.25 billion.” Of 79 preliminary applications to the Department of Energy, Kaptur and Latta’s was one of 33 encouraged to submit a full application. If the Great Lakes Hub is one of those winners, it would serve Ohio, Michigan, and parts of Indiana and Pennsylvania. Kaptur and Latta said the local grant proposal “deserves support because it uses ‘carbon-free nuclear power’ to produce hydrogen,” and that it is important for the DOE to support a hydrogen hub in this region of the Midwest “to address carbon emission reduction targets and create opportunities for meaningful engagement of our citizens in a hub that is destined to grow and connect with other hubs anchoring the nation’s hydrogen economy.” For more, read the full article.

Scotts Miracle Gro is investing $2.9 million to build “a 1.3 million-square-foot distribution center near its Marysville headquarters” that will create 40 to 50 new jobs, Columbus Business First reports. The building “will include 10,000 square feet of office space, with the remaining 1.29 million square feet to be utilized for product storage,” replacing five locations Scotts operates across Central Ohio, according to the article. Scotts Chief Communications Officer Tom Matthews said those current sites are “operated by third-party logistics providers, so the company did not own or lease them,” and Scotts is “working to optimize our entire supply chain network to ensure we’re operating as efficiently as we can.” The new facility “aims to reduce trucking and the use of fossil fuels, while also adding new capacity and distribution capabilities for Scotts.” Crawford Hoying is developing the project, and Contegra Construction is building the distribution center, which is “about 70% complete” and expected to open this summer. For more, read the full article (subscription may be required).

Federal energy policy is making many new incentives available for local governments to fund energy-related assets. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted in 2022, established a set of energy-related asset categories that are now being directly subsidized by the federal government. Under the IRA, nearly any advanced or renewable energy asset constructed by a local government is eligible for some kind of federal cash subsidy. For more, read the full article.

The eight states surrounding the Great Lakes have a new federal commission to “govern the economic and environmental challenges” they face, The Chronicle-Telegram reports. Proposed by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo), the Great Lakes Authority “will oversee Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York in trying to advance the Great Lakes,” the article reports. The authority “can use grants to fund workforce training, employment-related education, entrepreneurship, technology and business development in the eight states, as well as projects benefitting transportation, telecommunications and public infrastructure.” For more, read the full article.