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Ohio Agricultural Law Blog--ODA again revises "watersheds in distress" rule

By:Peggy Kirk Hall, Attorney and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program Tuesday, September 25th, 2018

In an ongoing attempt to carry out Governor Kasich's executive order to establish nutrient management requirements for agricultural nutrients within "watersheds in distress," the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has made a second revision to its proposed rule package.  According to ODA, the proposed watersheds in distress rules "create a uniform, state-wide standard that governs the application of manure and fertilizer on frozen, snow-covered and rain-soaked ground" within areas designated as "watersheds in distress." pursuant to Ohio Admin. Code 1501:15-5-20.  Those proposed standards include the following:

  • Manure and nutrient application restrictions.   Owners, operators and applicators shall not surface apply manure and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) on more than 50 acres of land used for agricultural production on snow covered, frozen and saturated soil or when there's a greater than 50% chance that precipitation would exceed one-half inch in 24 hours, unless the manure or nutrients are  injected, incorporated with 24 hours or applied to a growing crop.
  • Compliance with 590 standards.  Owners, operators and applicators must follow the conservation practices in USDA's “Field Office Technical Guide,” also known as the “590 standards.” 
  • Nutrient management plan (NMP) requirements.  Owners and operators within watersheds in distress must develop and comply with NMPs if applying nutrients on more than 50 acres or producing, applying, or received more than 350 tons or 100,000 gallons of manure annually by deadlines established by ODA, must submit an attestation of NMP completion to ODA, and must produce a copy of the plan within five days of a demand by ODA.  The rule outlines the requirements and standards for NMPs.
  • Ongoing compliance.  Owners and operators must update NMPs and attestations once every three years or when conditions change.
  • Enforcement.  The rule includes penalities for failure to comply with rule provisions.

ODA proposed the first rule package in July, accepted public comments on the rule, and published a revised rule package for public comments.   In response to the second round of comments, ODA has made another revision to the rule.  The agency states that it is now amending the rule "to require the Department to conduct an audit of at least 5% of the attestations submitted to determine compliance regarding completion of nutrient management plans."  Explaining the purpose of the revision, ODA states that "support was voiced from certain stakeholders regarding the flexibility of farmers to apply manure and nutrients during the winter months when conditions were favorable and safe to apply. In contrast, other stakeholders raised concerns that agricultural operations would no longer have any restrictions on the application of manure and nutrients. Stakeholders also raised concerns regarding the Department’s ability to enforce the new proposals." 

The proposed watersheds in distress rule package is here and the business impact analysis for the rules is here.   The public may submit comments on the proposal to ODA at AGReComments@agri.ohio.gov until October 5, 2018. 

 

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