The Columbiana County Port Authority and the Ohio Development Services Agency are butting heads over whether the port authority must repay a $305,000 state grant, Salem News reports. The 2007 grant was for the port authority’s role in the Baard Energy project, a coal-to-liquid fuel plant in Yellow Creek Township. Under the terms of the award agreement, according to the article, the project was required to create 200 new jobs. The port's CEO, Tracy Drake, contends that the port authority cannot be held responsible for Baard’s failure to create jobs. DSA disagrees but will "delay seeking reimbursement if the port authority secures a new job-creation commitment on the property by Dec. 31 and 'enters into a revised agreement with the (DSA) to reflect the new job creation commitment,'" the article said. For more, read the full story.
State: port authority is required to repay grant when company fails to create jobs
