Governor Ted Strickland signed into law Ohio Senate Bill 232, which eliminates Ohio's tangible personal property tax and real taxes on generation for renewable and advanced energy project facilities that begin construction before January 1, 2012, produce energy by 2013 (or 2017 for nuclear, clean coal and cogeneration projects) and create Ohio jobs. The bill allows companies that are seeking to build advanced energy generation facilities in Ohio to make an annual payment in lieu of taxes, thereby bringing Ohio's tax rates for these kinds of projects in line with surrounding states. More information on S.B. 232 is available here.
Governor Strickland and Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel also announced the start of a new $6 million jobs program, the Energizing Careers Program, for training Ohio's workforce for green energy careers. The program--funded through a U.S. Department of Labor grant--will reimburse the cost of training up to $6,000 for full-time employees, with preferential project funding to companies located in the 44 Ohio counties impacted by the restructuring of the auto industry. A list of those counties is can be found here.
The state is now accepting requests for proposals from companies looking to train employees for green jobs. To obtain a copy of the request for proposal, visit the Governor's Workforce Policy Advisory Board website at www.ohioworkforceboard.org. The deadline for companies to submit their one-page project summaries and their proposals on the recovery.ohio.gov/opportunities/state/ website will be 4:00 p.m. on July 30, 2010.
