Legislative leaders attack Kasich's Lake Erie order

SANDUSKY — Gov. John Kasich's efforts to impose new regulations on farmers in the drainage basin for western Lake Erie received pushback.The speaker of the Ohio House and other key legislative leaders hosted a press conference Wednesday to ask Kasich to take back an executive order he issued last week, ordering new regulations to be imposed on eight drainage areas in northwest Ohio.They also asked the Ohio Soil and Water Commission, scheduled to meet Thursday to take up approving Kasich's order, to delay action.Ohio House Speaker Ryan Smith, a Bidwell Republican, said major changes in policy should be approved by the Ohio General Assembly, not announced by the governor."The last thing we want to do is hurt our No. 1 industry," said Smith, referring to agriculture. "This type of major policy shouldn't be done through executive order, nor should it be done in a hurry."The governor's order targets eight high-phosphorus watersheds, all in northwest Ohio, generally in the Maumee River watershed and Toledo area.The eight are Platter Creek, Little Flat Rock Creek, Little Auglaize River, Eagle Creek, Auglaize River, Blanchard River, St. Marys River and the Ottawa River. Scientists said the Maumee River is the main culprit in putting phosphorus in Lake Erie that feeds harmful algal blooms.The Ohio Soil and Water Commission must declare the eight areas as "distressed" for the order to take effect. On Friday, Kasich made two changes in the commission's membership.The speakers at Wednesday's press conference said the order could affect as many as 7,000 farms.The governor's order also was criticized by state Rep. Brian Hill, R-Zanesville, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, state Sen. Bob Hackett, R-London, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and two farmers.One of the farmers, Duane Stateler, said he's just now wrapping up a two-year effort running a demonstration project in the Blanchard River watershed to find ways to reduce harmful runoff. There hasn't been time to share the information about what really works, Stateler said.The Kasich administration asked Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, to carry legislation that would impose the additional regulation, but Arndt eventually withdrew his support.Arndt said Wednesday the governor's office wanted him to try to rush through legislation that hadn't been discussed with the House leadership or with the Senate. There was no chance of getting the legislation passed, Arndt said.The governor's spokesman, Jon Keeling, was asked for comment and referred the Register back to Kasich's remarks last week.Kasich said he issued the order after months of discussions showed little willingness to take serious action."We gave people a long time to come to the table and get this done, and they were not there," he said. The answer has been "don't do anything," Kasich said.The governor said he had to act because lawmakers won't."The reason why they didn't pass it was because they didn't want to mess with this," Kasich said. "Some in the legislature say we already have the authority. So it's pretty interesting. They say we have to the authority, but yet they don't want to make it specific."Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Ohio farmer Duane Stateler said Wednesday at a news conference that progress is being made in the fight against harmful algal blooms and new regulations aren't needed yet as House Speaker Ryan Smith, left, listened.