Ohio Controlling Board, Aug. 25 — The Controlling Board approved Department of Natural Resources spending tied to a wetlands restoration project that uses Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds, with the department confirming the 37 percent state match will come from H2Ohio funds.
Brian Frazee, chief financial officer at the Department of Natural Resources, told the board the match for the GLRI grant was planned and that the department intended to use H2Ohio funds to meet the 37 percent state contribution. Representative Troy asked whether recent H2Ohio funding reductions in the state budget would affect the project’s ability to sustain the required match and future projects.
Why it matters: GLRI grants support restoration work in Great Lakes watersheds. Board members were concerned about whether state budget decisions and H2Ohio reductions could limit the department’s ability to continue matching federal funds or maintain eligibility for federal grants.
Frazee said the specific project had been planned prior to the budget changes and that the department intended to use H2Ohio funds as budgeted. He declined to speculate on broader future federal funding shifts but offered to provide more detail for the record on the Frustoria project if the board desired.
Discussion vs. decision: The board approved the item; discussion focused on funding sources and the impact of recent state budget changes on future federal matching capacity.
Actions:{"motion":"Approve item 45 (wetlands restoration GLRI project match)","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","outcome":"approved","notes":"State match to be funded with H2Ohio funds as planned."}
Speakers:[{"name":"Brian Frazee","role_title":"Chief Financial Officer","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Ohio Department of Natural Resources"},{"name":"Representative Troy","role_title":"Controlling Board member","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Ohio House of Representatives"},{"name":"President Schueller","role_title":"Controlling Board presiding officer","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Ohio Controlling Board"}]
Authorities:[{"type":"other","name":"Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)","referenced_by":["Brian Frazee"]},{"type":"other","name":"H2Ohio state program","referenced_by":["Brian Frazee"]}]
Discussion_Decision:{"discussion_points":["Project requires 37% state match; department plans to use H2Ohio funds","Whether recent H2Ohio funding reductions could affect future matches or project eligibility"],"directions":["Department offered to provide further detail on the Frustoria project if requested"],"decisions":["Controlling Board approved the GLRI-funded wetlands project with state match from H2Ohio funds."]}
Clarifying_details:[{"category":"match_percentage","detail":"State match for this project is 37% of total grant amount","value":37,"units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Brian Frazee"}]
proper_names:[{"name":"Great Lakes Restoration Initiative","type":"other"},{"name":"H2Ohio","type":"program"},{"name":"Ohio Department of Natural Resources","type":"agency"},{"name":"Frustoria project","type":"program"}]
searchable_tags:["GLRI","wetlands","H2Ohio","DN R","conservation"]
provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"item45_intro","local_start":0,"local_end":30,"evidence_excerpt":"Our next held item is number 45. Oh. Brian Frazee, chief financial officer, Department of Natural Resources.","global_start":1635.475,"global_end":1639.475,"reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"item45_discussion","local_start":0,"local_end":112,"evidence_excerpt":"This project requires 37% of state funds to match the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative money...The match will be H2Ohio funds. This project has been in the works for a while, so it was our plan to use that match of state H2Ohio funds.","global_start":1643.395,"global_end":1702.83,"reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}