Gov. John Kasich found himself in some hot water after saying in a recent speech that he doesn’t believe Lake Erie is impaired, contradicting a declaration from his own Environmental Protection Agency in March. Now Kasich is clarifying those comments.
Kasich told the Michigan Press Association convention last weekend that the open waters of Lake Erie aren’t impaired and shouldn’t have that declaration. He now says he fears environmentalists may have taken his comments out of context.
“There are parts that we’ve declared impaired in the western basin," Kasich said. "But in the middle of the lake, we don’t think so. And I’m not going to go around and say that all of Lake Erie is impaired."
Ohio’s EPA director says the state will do whatever is necessary to bring the western basin back into compliance, and that state lawmakers need to limit use of commercial fertilizer to help manage nutrient runoff. And Kasich says if he has to take action unilaterally, he will.
