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A new fertilizer-certification law, set to be signed into law by Gov. John Kasich, seeks to cut down on hazardous algal blooms, such as this one in Lake Erie in 2011.
(file photo)
COLUMBUS, Ohio— Gov. John Kasich is set to sign into law new agricultural regulations that mark Ohio’s largest effort yet to combat algal blooms on Lake Erie and other state waterways.
However, state officials and environmentalists each called the legislation, which requires farmers who use commercial fertilizer to be certified by the state, only a good first step. And the Ohio Department of Agriculture said it’s still unclear what impact the new rules will have to curb the foul-smelling, toxic blooms.
Algal blooms are increasingly plaguing Lake Erie and other bodies of water during warm weather, thanks in part because of phosphorus-rich fertilizer runoff that washes down into tributary rivers.
Under Senate Bill 150, starting in 2017, farmers using fertilizer must first take a state-run certification course that teaches things such as how much fertilizer to use on a plot of land and when it should be applied, according to Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Erica Hawkins.
Farmers who voluntarily develop nutrient management plans would be given legal protections under the bill.
Kasich intends to sign the legislation, but no signing date has been scheduled yet, according to gubernatorial spokesman Rob Nichols. The bill passed both the Ohio House and Senate unanimously.
Hawkins said the bill will help address the causes of algal blooms. But she said it’s not clear how much the certification process will do to curb the problem, as there’s still little scientific research into the issue.
SB 150, she said, will help with that research by allowing state agricultural officials to track how much fertilizer is sold in various parts of the state.
“This is a good first step in order to try and get a better grip on the situation,” Hawkins said.
Jack Shaner of the Ohio Environmental Council said the bill marks Ohio's "first big step" toward stopping algal blooms, though he said state policymakers still need to do much more to resolve the problem.
For one thing, Shaner said, the legislation doesn’t cover animal manure waste, which he said is another significant source of the phosphorus runoff that algae thrive on.
Shaner said he suspects Ohio eventually will need to pass fertilizer restrictions that are mandatory, not voluntary.
“We’re going to need a lot more than this,” he said.