Soil, Water Task Force Begins Work on Kasich’s ‘Distress’ Order

Source: The Hannah Report

A task force formed by the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission (OSWCC) to review Gov. John Kasich’s proposal to designate eight watersheds in the Western Basin of Lake Erie as “in distress” began work Thursday on recommendations that could lead to the full commission agreeing with or going against that order. 

Kasich issued the order last month, saying additional actions are needed to reduce fertilizer runoff in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. But instead of giving its blessing to the order, OSWCC delayed action and instead sent it to a task force made up of commission members and stakeholders to study it and make recommendations. 

Fred Cash, the chairman of the task force and a member of OSWCC, said the ultimate decision on what to do with the executive order will be up to OSWCC, but said the task force will assemble data and make recommendations to the commission. He outline three potential options: recommend that the OSWCC give its consent to the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODAg) to designate the eight watersheds in the Western Basin as “in distress,” thereby agreeing with a report developed by ODAg outlining the reasons for the designation; disagree with ODAg’s report and recommend OSWCC withhold its consent; or suggest to the ODAg director that the scope of the distressed watershed determination be modified.

Cash told members of the task force that while there is no timeline for the group to finish its work, he would like to issue its recommendations to the commission as soon as possible. He noted the General Assembly has its own working group on the issue, and said that everyone is working toward the same direction and trying to get the same goal.

“I would like for us to get this in as quickly as we can do it in the next few months,” he said. 

Other members of the task force attending Thursday’s meeting included OSWCC member Bill Knapke; Cathann Kress, vice president of agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University, who also testified earlier in the week to the legislative working group; Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association Executive Director Tadd Nicholson; Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director Elizabeth Harsh; Kris Swartz, a Wood County farmer representing the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts; and Nicole Hawk, representing the Ohio Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Employees. 

Members of the task force said they want to hear from various other scientists to see if they confirm the conclusions reached by ODAg. They also expressed concern over whether the task force would take the work too fast, with Nicholson saying he would rather the work be right than fast. 

OSWCC Chairman Tom Price also attended the hearing, saying how Ohio handles this issue is being watched around the nation and will have implications beyond what happens with the Western Basin. He said some have criticized OSWCC’s action as kicking the can down the road, but he believes it was good to step back and look at everything before moving forward. 

“We need more input than just putting ‘x’ number of nutrient plans in place,” Price said, adding that there are a lot of variables that OSWCC needs to look at in its decision. 

Nicholson said he would like the group to evaluate the science on the issue from others in addition to what was issued by ODAg. He also requested that representatives from ODAg and the Ohio EPA who helped to create the report be available for questions at the next task force meeting so they can learn more about how ODAg came to its decisions. 

In urging the task force to take its time, Nicholson said that Lake Erie is its own living system, and “when you figure out something, it proves you wrong.” 

Hawk said soil and water districts are locally led, and while that doesn’t mean they can’t take rules and guidelines from the state or another entity, it can look very different in each district. She said the way they handled the distress designation for Grand Lake St. Mary’s was a blessing in disguise, but that doesn’t mean those successes will easily be translated to the other watersheds. 

She said one of her biggest concerns with the executive order is its scale. She said if the commission believes it could work, it could start with one or two watersheds and implement the plans slowly to see what works.

Members of the panel also said that they believe nutrient plans can be an effective tool, but that doesn’t mean it is the necessarily the right one for the Western Basin. Hawk said the plans also shouldn’t be a burden on farmers. 

Knapke said he doesn’t want to see a green Lake Erie in a few years and look back and say they failed to act. He also said he doesn’t want the task force to get bogged down looking at issues that are not related to what the task force was asked to consider. 

The task force agreed to hold its next meeting sometime in the first week of October. 

Story originally published in The Hannah Report on August 30, 2018.