This week, the OMA Environment Committee held its final scheduled meeting of 2023, sponsored by OMA Connections Partners Squire Patton Boggs and Thompson Hine. Highlights included the following:

• Bob Hodanbosi, Ohio EPA’s longtime air pollution control chief, provided an update on the non-attainment status of the Cleveland and Cincinnati areas under the U.S. EPA ozone standard. He noted that if ozone levels are not reduced, increased regulatory action could have “serious consequences” for industry in both areas.
• Brandon Farris, vice president of environmental policy for the National Association of Manufacturers, discussed the U.S. EPA’s proposed PM2.5 rule, which would impose stricter air standards on particulate matter, resulting in a “freeze of growth” for U.S. manufacturers. The OMA has been actively engaged in opposition. (OMA members can express their opposition via the NAM’s website.)
• Bill Petruzzi, senior consultant for Verdantas, briefed members on how manufacturers can take advantage of the Ohio EPA’s regulatory expansion allowing additional waste materials to be eligible for beneficial use authorization.

Members should watch for the 2024 schedule of OMA policy committee meetings to be announced in December. 11/1/2023