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Legislators want to officially commend Gov. Kasich for work on water quality issues

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News

Published: May 29, 2015

A resolution commending Gov. John Kasich on his efforts to improve the water quality of Lake Erie has been reported out of a House committee.

Before the measure moved out of the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Rep. Dave Hall, R-Millersburg, said House Concurrent Resolution 11 addresses water quality as it pertains to the impact of other states on Lake Erie.

“This resolution will commend Gov. Kasich for his consistency when it comes to water quality efforts and affirm his ability to form an interstate compact to make additional improvements to Lake Erie,” he said.

HCR 11 states that Kasich has consistently supported comprehensive efforts to improve the water quality of Lake Erie.

“The governor’s budget proposes to prohibit the spread of manure on frozen and rain-soaked ground in the Western Lake Erie Basin unless injection, tillage or cover crops are used and to eliminate all open-lake dredging and disposal by 2020,” the measure reads.

In addition to applauding Kasich for making improved water quality a priority, the resolution encourages the governor to continue having dialogue with officials in other states in “furtherance of this objective, including pursuing the formation of an interstate compact.”

In campaigning for HCR 11, Hall stressed that there is “no silver bullet” to water quality problems.

“It is a multi-faceted issue that we have already started to address; this is simply another step in the process. The General Assembly and the governor have already addressed the agricultural component of the problem, we have begun to address the drinking water and EPA aspects, and now we have to look beyond our borders to the other states that share Lake Erie,” he said.

Hall went on to say it is imperative for officials from Michigan, Indiana and Canada to recognize the part they play in the algal blooms occurring in Lake Erie and start taking steps like Ohio has done to ensure a comprehensive water quality policy.

“To that end, this resolution encourages the governor to form an interstate compact as Ohio continues to take the lead on this crucial objective,” he said.

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