Gov. John Kasich is fighting for his clean Lake Erie initiative, which includes tougher regulations on Ohio’s number one industry. As Kasich argues, his proposed rules on fertilizer is in everyone’s best interest.
Earlier this month, Kasich signed an executive order to implement strict rules on how farmers use and store fertilizer and manure, and make violators eligible for civil penalties. The regulations were intended to help cut down on harmful algae bloom growth in Lake Erie and other watersheds.
The order was delayed in a vote last week by the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission after criticism from agriculture groups and Republican lawmakers. But Kasich stands by it.
“We’re not kicking this over to the legislature,” Kasich said. “They had their chance and they blinked like they’ve done on so many other issues, including the gun laws, so we’re going to move forward on this. And I’ve explained to everybody that this is gonna get done one way or another because this lake has to be preserved.”
Kasich believes the majority of farmers in Ohio want to cooperate with his proposals. Meanwhile, Ohio Farm Bureau supported the delay of the rules, which some farmers have called “government overreach.”
