Toxic algae becomes a perennial crop

Aug 04, 2022 View in browser   By Debra Kahn and Jordan Wolman THE BIG PICTURE Algae is again accumulating in the western, shallower part of Lake Erie. | Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Toxic algae in lakes and rivers is a growing problem for cities, pets, swimmers and fishers — and, increasingly, the farmers who are causing it. Harmful algal blooms are becoming a regular summer feature around the country, thanks to fertilizer-laden runoff and hot water temperatures. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration estimates algal blooms have cost coastal economies $1 billion over the past several decades in lost recreation, tourism and seafood harvesting. Five of California's 11 state reservoirs are warning against drinking straight from them or letting pets swim in them because of cyanobacteria, which can cause skin irritation, vomiting and flu-like symptoms. One of the country's worst accumulations of algae is in western Lake Erie, bordering Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Ontario. It entered Toledo's drinking water system in August 2014, making supplies undrinkable for days. A new analysis attempts to distill who's to blame for Erie's algae. The Environmental Working Group mapped more than 2,500 concentrated animal feeding operations in areas bordering the lake's western basin and found more than 2,200 of them were unpermitted. Those facilities are responsible for 63 percent of the phosphorus-laden manure produced in the basin, which is applied to fields as fertilizer. In Ohio, that number shoots up to 68 percent — higher than Indiana and Michigan, the other two states in the basin. Regulating the unpermitted facilities would give the states more control over where and how much manure is being applied, EWG argues. They could cut down on the overapplication that leads to runoff. Agricultural representatives are pushing back. "The bashing of the livestock industry has to stop," Ohio Farm Bureau spokesperson Ty Higgins said in an email. "Ohio has one of the most comprehensive regulatory systems in the nation." Environmental groups and Lucas County, Ohio, are in negotiations with the EPA to enforce the Clean Water Act against Ohio regulators. They point to a "glaring loophole" in Ohio's regulations, which allow facilities with fewer than 2,500 animals to escape permitting. "If the Ohio permitting system was as good as the Farm Bureau is saying, there wouldn't be recurring toxic algae blooms in western Lake Erie for the past 15 years," said Howard Learner, president and executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, which sued EPA in 2019. A hearing on a potential settlement is scheduled for Aug. 24. One silver lining: It's been so dry this year that runoff is lower than normal, reducing nutrient flows. Lake Okeechobee in Florida has "moderate" blooms, according to Larry Brand, a marine biologist at the University of Miami. Erie's is "above the recreational limit" in spots, according to NOAA, which had predicted a below-average bloom earlier this year — though the agency recently updated its forecast to a larger bloom this season.   INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY .     YOU TELL US Welcome to the Long Game, your source for news on how companies and governments are shaping our future. Team Sustainability is editor Greg Mott , deputy editor Debra Kahn and reporters Lorraine Woellert and Jordan Wolman . Reach us all at gmott@politico.com , dkahn@politico.com , lwoellert@politico.com and jwolman@politico.com . Want more? Don't we all. Sign up for the Long Game . Four days a week and still free! WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — Greener car wires may be part of what's enticing rats to venture under the hood, the NYT reports . — A coal renaissance means big coal profits, the Financial Times writes . — One tangible outcome of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's stop in Taiwan: the announcement of a Tesla supplier's North America plant has been delayed, the WSJ reports .   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today .       Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Lorraine Woellert @Woellert Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman   Follow us

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