The Cuyahoga Land Bank requests your consideration and support of an important development concerning vacant and abandoned properties in Ohio.
Ohio EPA has recently proposed new demolition guidance for small residential structures that embrace the “residential exemption” found in the federal asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for demolition. This guidance provides a reasonable and carefully considered balance between the need to protect the community from unreasonable asbestos exposure versus the more serious and present danger of vacant, vandalized and abandoned houses.
As many of you know, U.S. EPA’s current interpretation of the asbestos NESHAP inexplicably no longer recognizes this “residential exemption” despite the fact that it is expressly provided for in the plain language of the federal regulation. As a result of U.S. EPA’s overreach in this area, Ohio communities and land banks have spent millions of dollars to comply with regulations that do not impact environmental safety and that rightfully should not apply to scattered site demolitions of nuisance structures. Ohio EPA, on the other hand, has offered a reasonable compromise which we fully support. As Ohio EPA considers the official release of this guidance document, we would like to show statewide support of our Ohio EPA from stakeholders affected by U.S. EPA’s current misinterpretation of the asbestos NESHAP. Ohio EPA’s proposed guidance can be downloaded here. A sample letter of support for the demolition guidance can be found here.
So that we may deliver your letters directly to Governor Kasich, Ohio EPA and Ohio’s Congressional Delegation, please mail, fax or email your letters of support to:
Cuyahoga Land Bank
Attn: Douglas J. Sawyer, Special Projects and Policy Counsel
323 W. Lakeside Ave, Suite 160
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Phone: 216-698-3543
Fax: 216-698-8972
Email: [email protected]
Thank you for your consideration and we appreciate your support towards this effort!