Explanation
In 2010, the Department of Finance & Management, Fleet Management division was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) through the local Clean Cities Coalition designee, Clean Fuels Ohio. The funding opportunity was entitled "Clean Cities FY09 Petroleum Reduction Technologies Projects for the Transportation Sector," Area of Interest 4, and was created through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to fund cost-shared projects that expand the use of alternative fueled vehicles and advanced technology vehicles as well as the installation or acquisition of infrastructure necessary to directly support an alternative fueled vehicle or advanced technology vehicle.
Ordinance 0540-2010, authorized the Finance and Management Director to enter into contract with Clean Fuels Ohio to accept this $1.2 million grant award from the United States Department of Energy, administered through Clean Fuels Ohio.
In March 2015, Clean Fuels Ohio submitted a letter to the Department of Finance & Management indicating that the Department of Energy had disallowed a portion of a local grant partner’s grant award due to the decommissioning of its compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle. According to Clean Fuels Ohio, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank had used grant funds to convert one of its food delivery vehicles to CNG using an ESI conversion system. This ESI conversion system was flawed upon installation which resulted in the vehicle not functioning properly and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank was unable to deliver food to those in need in central Ohio. The engine manufacturer ESI ceased operations, making the required repairs to this truck nearly impossible to complete. Therefore, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank decided to decommission the vehicle and rent a replacement truck.
Given these extenuating circumstances, the Department of Energy gave Clean Fuels Ohio two options for removing the partner from the project:
1. Mid-Ohio Foodbank could pay back the DOE the...
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