Over 400,000 people and hundreds of businesses impacted.
A single, large-scale Harmful Algal Bloom event in Lake Erie in 2014 led to a tap water ban advisory that spanned three counties in Ohio and one in Michigan, leaving more than 400,000 people in the Toledo area without water for drinking, cooking, or bathing. Researchers estimate the overall economic impacts was roughly $65 million ($18 million for property value, $20 million for tourism, $23 million for recreation, and $4 million for water treatment)1.
Since 2012, over $23.2 million in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been used to protect the environment and economy in Ohio and regionally. The EPA’s Non-point Source Pollution Management Program (Section 319) has helped reduce runoff pollution from roads, parking lots and excessive fertilizer. Preventing pollution before it happens saves many millions more in economic damage after the fact.
Trump Administration and some members of Congress are working to weaken the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and cut its budget to its lowest level since the 1970s. The proposed budget would completely eliminate funding for non-point sources and drastically cut many other programs that keep pollutants out of our water.
The proposed budget would entirely eliminate the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to Great Lakes states since 2010 to address threats to the lakes such as “Toxic Areas of Concern,” including harmful invasive species and degraded wildlife habitats.
Our economic prosperity depends on good stewardship of the environment. Tell policymakers to keep U.S. EPA funded and working for Ohio. Sign-on to our letter.
[button id=”” button_text=”Add Your Voice: Sign-on to Our Letter” button_link=”http://impala.temp.domains/~osbcoun2/action/fund-epa/” link_open=”_self” button_icon=”” button_align=”” button_size=”small” button_style=”default” margin_top=”0 ” href_title=”Add Your Voice”]
Share
