The Clean Ohio Fund, in addition to its great success in cleaning up blighted areas of Ohio, has created dramatic economic growth and job creation.

The program has relieved urban blight in many areas, with 110 projects funded and 77 completed since 1997.

These projects created more than 4,000 new jobs. Ohio voters approved the allocation of an additional $400 million for the Clean Ohio Fund in the last election and

I would like to urge Ohio communities to take advantage of this opportunity for growth.

In this region, the New Boston Steel Mill received $3 million to clean up a 41-acre section of the site, eliminating health risks from PCBs and benzene that were left behind after the facility stopped operating.

Now redeveloped, this property holds a $24 million dollar retail complex that will create 500 full time jobs for this Ohio River community.

While a substantial amount of money has gone into the project, Ohioans will multiply the value of that investment many times over by returning earnings to the local economy, demonstrating the potential of the Clean Ohio fund.

Under the Clean Ohio Revitalization or Assistance Fund, grant money is provided for environmental assessments, demolition, removal of contaminated soil, ground water treatment and a host of other site remediation strategies. Ohio EPA is happy to help communities assess and clean up their brownfields. It’s an environmental and economic win-win. To learn more, visit www.clean.ohio.gov.

Chris Korleski, Director, Ohio EPA