We Need Your Help!

The Cuyahoga Land Bank requests your consideration and support of two important developments concerning vacant and abandoned properties in Ohio.
First, State Senator Patton has recently introduced Senate Bill 172 that provides several enhancements to Ohio’s land bank and tax foreclosure laws.  This bill will help municipal, township, and county land banks perform their critical function of removing blighted, vacant and abandoned properties from our communities in an efficient and economical manner.  The Bill can be found here and a sample letter of support can be downloaded here.
Second, 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 in homes 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 Senator Patton, 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 these efforts!