Lake Erie deserves better

Gov. John Kasich's efforts earlier this month to impose new regulations on farmers in the drainage basin for western Lake Erie received pushback from the speaker of the Ohio House and other key legislative leaders.They want Kasich to take back an executive order he issued ordering new regulations to be imposed on eight drainage areas in Northwest Ohio. They also want the Ohio Soil and Water Commission to delay action on whether to support the governor's mandate.Ohio House Speaker Ryan Smith 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."We don't mean to be disagreeable, Mr. Speaker, but you should be in a hurry, and you shouldn't be preoccupied with how doing right by Lake Erie gets done, but rather that it does get done. You should not be fighting Kasich, you should not be wooing the commission to your point of view.What Ohioans need you to do, what Ohioans need the governor and the commission to do, what Ohioans need farmers to do, is come together and focus on the solutions that will protect Lake Erie.Farmers — both big and small — must change how they operate, and they are willing to make the changes needed, but they need leaders who will set aside their egos, reach across the table, and enact the changes that will enable them to make those changes. That's leadership.The solutions are already available, but the will to get it done is not there. The sense of urgency is not there. We appreciate your service. We appreciate everyone's good intentions. We appreciate everyone's time spent to understand the issues.We say, get it done in this term.Get it done now.