What We Do
Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) endeavors to unlock the potential of Ohio’s 9,000+ former industrial and commercial sites that are unusable in their current condition. GOPC has documented the positive economic impact that brownfield cleanups can have on Ohio’s cities and town. Additionally, GOPC is a leading voice on policy changes that allow former industrial sites to be put back into productive use - which include both regulatory reform and the identification of a sustainable funding source for a brownfield clean-up and redevelopment program.
Our 2025-26 Public Policy Agenda
Responsible Growth, Sustained Prosperity
Greater Ohio Policy Center’s 2025-2026 Public Policy Agenda
Unlocking Acres of Prime Land
Ohio has hundreds of sites with utility infrastructure, transportation access, and nearby workers, which are currently unusable. Environmental contaminants from previous uses are the only barrier to their future use. In the last four years, Ohio has invested $700 million to assess and clean-up a portion of these brownfields sites. These funds have leveraged millions of additional private and public dollars.
GOPC is proud to have championed this investment, working with policymakers to reactivate land that will house new businesses, homes, and recreation spaces. However, thousands of brownfields still exist across Ohio.
Establish a permanent funding source for brownfield remediation.
Ohio needs a permanent brownfields grant program that has its own source of dedicated and predictable funding. This program should complement existing programs at the U.S. and OhioEPA, JobsOhio, and other agencies. Such a program will help Ohio’s legacy communities and the state’s growing metro regions access developed or developable land, and, in turn preserve agricultural land and green space from unnecessary conversion.
What We Have Accomplished
Over the past six years, GOPC has successfully advocated for the investment of $900M in funding by the State of Ohio to identify and clean-up hundreds of brownfield sites across Ohio. We have also worked with Ohio lawmakers to provide more gateways to redevelopment of brownfield sites and continually track the progress and successes of Ohio’s current brownfield program (the Brownfield Remediation Program) and former program (the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund), all in an effort to sustain strong support for brownfield remediation in Ohio.
Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program
For nearly a decade, GOPC has been the leading advocate for investment in brownfield remediation at the state level. Our work directly led to the creation of the Brownfield Remediation Program in 2021 by the Ohio General Assembly. Since 2021, Ohio has invested nearly $1 billion in the clean-up and revitalization of blighted brownfield sites. Our work continues to focus on maintaining this critical funding and preserving the program as a vital tool for community revitalization.
GOPC has been proud to serve as the leading nonprofit advocate for the creation and maintenance of the Brownfield Remediation Program (BRP).
GOPC Join’s Spectrum News 1s In Focus to Discuss Brownfields
GOPC’s Director of Strategic Engagement Jason Warner was a guest on Spectrum New 1 Ohio’s In Focus to discuss GOPC’s work as an advocate for brownfield remediation across the state. During the segment, Jason discussed what are brownfields, where brownfields are located and how many exist in Ohio, as well as our recent partnership with the Ohio EPA in hosting our third Ohio Brownfield Conference in Westerville.
GOPC Hosts Annual Ohio Brownfields Conference
Since 2023, GOPC has hosted the annual Ohio Brownfield Conference, which brings together hundreds of participants each year to learn more about brownfield remediation and provide continued learning opportunities for brownfield professions. We are honored to partner with the Ohio EPA in hosting the conference, providing a unique opportunity for brownfield professionals and local communities to network and learn more about the process involved in identifying and cleaning-up brownfield sites, and the used that former brownfield sites have once remediation is completed.
GOPC Join’s NBC 4 Daytime Columbus to Discuss Brownfields
Greater Ohio Policy Center's Aaron Clapper and Jason Warner join the NBC 4 program Daytime Columbus to discuss our work advocating for brownfield remediation efforts and the impact this has had cleaning-up former industrial sites around the greater Columbus region.
This segment originally aired on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Bona Fide Prospective Purchase Defense
In 2020, Ohio’s legislature enacted the Bona Fide Purchase Defense (BFPD) into state law. Establishing the BFPD in Ohio law will encourage the redevelopment of lightly contaminated brownfields sites. The state’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP) remains the gold standard in the state for liability protection, and will continue to be utilized for heavily-contaminated brownfield sites. BFPD provides an alternative pathway for purchasers, allowing liability protection through an affirmative defense for purchasers who complete certain due diligence steps.
GOPC was the leading nonprofit advocate for the creation of the BFPD Law.
Documenting the Success of Brownfield Clean-ups
When funding programs for brownfield redevelopment are available, communities across the state experience economic development that can lead to increases in jobs, tax revenue, business development, and new housing. Research by GOPC, and others, shows that the high cost of brownfield remediation is more than paid back through the economic output of the clean-up itself, new construction, and ongoing tax revenues from the new businesses or homes on the remediated site.
GOPC continues to track the impact of the former Clean Ohio Revitalization Program and the new BRP.
Related Publications
The Benefits of Brownfields for Ohio's Communities
GOPC is proud to share “The Benefits of Brownfields for Ohio’s Communities: An Analysis of the Brownfield Remediation Program Over the Past Three Years”. This white paper examines the $659 million awarded between 2022 and 2024 for the Brownfield Remediation Program.
Testimony provided to the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Click here to learn more about House Bill 96.