Explanation
This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into sub-recipient agreements for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), IMPACT Community Action, Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO), and The Ohio State University.
ORD 2503-2023 authorized acceptance of the award for the Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 66.046. The grant project period is from June 1 2023 through May 31, 2027. The City grant number is G602301.
The Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant provides funding under the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the City of Columbus to develop regional climate mitigation plans to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and co-pollutants and reduction measures throughout the entire metropolitan area and to conduct meaningful engagement with low- income and disadvantaged communities and coordinate with geographically proximate tribes as appropriate. Three key deliverables will be produced and submitted over the course of the four-year program period: a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), due March 1, 2024; a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP), due two years from the date of the award; and a status report, due at the close of the grant period. The City’s inaugural Climate Action Plan published in 2021 will serve as the baseline for the PCAP and CCAP.
CORE PROJECT TEAM AND SUB-RECIPIENTS
1. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) | D365 Vendor #004591 | Federal EIN on file | Expires 3/25/2024
o MORPC is a nonprofit institution and does not hold MBE/WBE status.
2. IMPACT Community Action | D365 Vendor #001447 | Federal EIN on file | Expires 11/8/2025
o IMPACT Community Action is a nonprofit corporation and does not hold MBE/WBE status.
3. Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) | D365 Vendor # 047010 | Expires 10/16/2025
o PCFO is a nonprofit corporation and does not hold MBE/WBE status.
4. The Ohio State University | D365 Vendor #006163 | Federal EIN on file | Expires 3/29/2025 |
o Governmental/Education institution
None of the sub-recipients are debarred according to the Excluded Party Listing System of the Federal Government or prohibited from being awarded a contract according to the Auditor of State Unresolved Findings for Recovery Certified Search
The sub-recipients are coordinating entities who are responsible for overseeing different tasks for each deliverable. The City of Columbus is the grant pass-through entity that will work with the sub-recipients and disburse payment based on the agreed upon tasks. MORPC will be responsible for creating a greenhouse gas inventory and will support regional planning engagement. Power a Clean Future Ohio will produce emission projections, targets, and reduction measures modeling and analysis. The Ohio State University is leading the regional benefits analysis and the low income disadvantaged communities analysis.
FISCAL IMPACT
$0.00
Acceptance of the $1,000,000.00 grant award, its appropriation, and expenditure were authorized under ORD 2503-2023. However, the agreements with the respective sub-recipients were not authorized under the same ordinance so this ordinance authorizes those agreements with the funding accepted and appropriated under ORD 2503-2023.
Work with the sub-recipients will support initiatives to benefit residents of Columbus and the surrounding areas. Expected outcomes over the course of the grant include pollution reductions measured in tons of pollution reduced over the lifetime of the measures; tons of pollution reduced annually; and tons of pollution reduced with respect to low-income and disadvantaged communities.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION
The grant allows work prior to the award dating and back to 6/19/2023 to be included in funding disbursements. This ordinance is being submitted as an emergency in order to (1) expedite payment to sub-recipients; (2) comply with US EPA general terms and conditions for reimbursements; (3) and due to the first deliverable submission deadline in March 2024.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into sub-recipient agreements for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (G602301) with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), IMPACT Community Action, Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO), and The Ohio State University; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) was awarded a Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in the amount of $1,000,000.00; and
WHEREAS, the grant provides funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to develop regional climate mitigation plans to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and co-pollutants and reduction measures throughout the entire metropolitan area and to conduct meaningful engagement with low- income and disadvantaged communities and coordinate with geographically proximate tribes as appropriate; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 2503-2023 authorized the Director of Public Utilities to accept the $1,000,000.00 grant award from the US EPA for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (G602301) and authorized its appropriation and expenditure; and
WHEREAS, the US EPA approved DPU’s proposed budget and sub-recipients associated with the grant; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into sub-recipient agreements for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (G602301) with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) ($167,500), IMPACT Community Action ($0), Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) ($131,000), and The Ohio State University ($120,000); and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Utilities, in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to enter into sub-recipient agreements for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (G602301) with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), IMPACT Community Action, Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO), and The Ohio State University, without delay, for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, and safety; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Public Utilities is hereby authorized to enter into sub-recipient awards for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (G602301) with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) ($167,500), IMPACT Community Action ($0), Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) ($131,000), and The Ohio State University ($120,000).
SECTION 2. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this Ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure, and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.