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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.
Scott Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He writes about education, city and suburban issues, politics, business, workforce and consumer issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > July > 22
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Guest column: Farm runoff problem can be solved, with big effort
This column was written by Lima resident Tim Lovett, who is president of the Grand Lake St. Marys Improvement Association.
Fact is, an economic and environmental disaster is occurring in the region around Grand Lake St. Marys. Jobs and businesses are being lost and home values and tourist income are falling due to the lake’s poor water quality. Strains of blue-green algae growing in the lake are producing toxins that are hazardous to humans, resulting in public health advisories to avoid contact with the water.
Blue-green algae are thriving because of the excessive phosphorus in the lake’s sediment and in runoff flowing into the lake. The phosphorous originates primarily from agricultural sources. These facts have been well documented by federal and state environmental protection agencies and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
It is also a fact that the lake can be restored, once again making it the driver of a thriving recreational and tourism industry in the region. A recently completed study of the lake’s problems concludes that a two-pronged approach is required:
Stop the excessive phosphorous coming into the lake and remove most of the phosphorous being released by the sediment.
There are proven best-management practices available to the agricultural producers that can reduce phosphorous in runoff. If those practices were adopted by the entire agricultural community in the lake’s watershed, phosphorous would be reduced to a level that would sustain a healthy lake.
Many producers in the watershed have adopted these practices — and they’re to be commended. But the practices must be adopted on a much larger scale if the lake is going to be saved.
Efforts by various governmental and private entities are continuing to encourage producers to adopt these practices and to offer financial incentives to do so.
Controlling the release of phosphorous from lake sediment is technically feasible. A variety of technologies exist, and one or more may be required. That effort will cost millions, and identifying the necessary funding sources will be difficult.
But weighed against the more than 2,000 jobs tied to the lake’s recreational and tourist industry, this is a wise investment.
The state and federal government are spending millions to save jobs in Ohio; some of those funds need to be diverted to saving the lake and the jobs it provides.
The problem with excessive nutrients on agricultural runoff causing algae problems is not just a Grand Lake St. Marys issue. It is a state and federal issue. It is a problem in the Mississippi River basin and in the Great Lakes.
Grand Lake St. Marys has a relatively small runoff zone. If the problem cannot be corrected here, there is not much hope for everywhere else.
I am cautiously optimistic that the lake can and will be cleaned up and that the region’s economy will be restored. We and many other organizations are committed to making this happen.
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Editorial: Anti-debt pitch weak on unemployment comp
The fight over extending unemployment benefits came down to yet another partisan smackdown.
The Democrats said Congress must extend benefits because the economy is still not providing the needed jobs. The Republicans were only too happy to acknowledge that the economy is not providing. But they — with few exceptions, including Rep. Mike Turner, of Centerville — said the extension should only be made if an equivalent amount of spending is cut elsewhere.
Actually, some Republicans simply oppose an extension — with or without offsetting cuts.
They say extensions deter people from looking for jobs. But party leaders insisted they could have provided the votes if not for the deficit issue.
The Democrats said that cutting elsewhere makes no sense, because cuts in government spending now will just delay the growth of the economy. What with state and local governments already contracting, the federal government still needs to provide some stimulus.
The Republicans countered: Look how little good has been done by the Obama stimulus so far.
The Democrats argued that the stimulus might have been what prevented a depression. And anyway, they said, economists agree that the best kind of stimulus is one aimed at people who don’t have any money — the unemployed — because they are sure to spend it.
Behind all the arguments is the belief by many Democrats that they are the ones who have to worry about economy, that the Republicans will be of no help on the Democrats’ watch.
Meanwhile, the Republicans believe that many voters — even non-Republicans — are mainly worried now about government debt.
The argument directly impacts more than 5,000 people in Montgomery County who would benefit from an extension; roughly 1,000 each in Greene, Miami and Warren counties; almost 100,000 statewide.
Finally, on Tuesday, July 20, over the opposition of one Democrat, and with support from the only two remaining Republican senators who voted for the original Obama stimulus, the Senate passed the Democratic measure. (The House had already passed a similar one.)
Apparently you either buy the stimulus idea or you don’t.
It would have been odd for the Democrats — having supported a stimulus of almost $800 billion — to go all wobbly now over $34 billion. Indeed, they’re wondering whether a new stimulus might be necessary.
Make no mistake: Unemployment benefits benefit people besides the unemployed. If, in a county like Montgomery, 5,000 more people are spending money, that makes a difference for the general economy.
Whether that kind of stimulus is offset by the long-term harm of debt is a question worth pausing over. But a new economic downturn now would just make the deficit worse.
For the Republicans, who were willing to add monumentally to the national debt during the last presidency with tax cuts, a pre-emptive war and expansion of Medicare, this is an odd time to get serious about debt.
And yet the right time is certainly coming — for both parties.
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