Bond, Tanner Table Bill on Nitrogen Runoff

April 24, 2001

Legislation designed to reduce the amount of nitrogen and chemicals that run from fields into rivers, lakes and streams has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) and in the House by Rep. John Tanner (D-TN). The bills, titled The Fishable Waters Act (S 678 and HR 325), would provide $350 million per year for clean water projects geared towards reducing the amount of nitrogen and chemicals that run off into waterways.

Larry Mitchell, CEO, American Corn Growers Association, said, "It is clear that the problem of hypoxia and high nitrate levels is due, in part, to nitrogen fertilizer use. The Bond-Tanner legislation will enable farmers to use voluntary measures to rectify a problem agricultural producers have partially contributed to. The combination of the Bond-Tanner initiative along with the ACGA's Agricultural Water Quality Restoration Program (AWQRP) will go a long way towards solving a serious environment concern."

The AWQRP has been developed in conjunction with the American Corn Growers Foundation and is based on the efforts of the organizations' over the past five years to recognize and address the "dead zone" problem in the Gulf of Mexico. Under the AWQRP, farmers will be encouraged to utilize soil testing as a means to reduce nitrate levels. According to university studies, 20% of all nitrate levels could be reduced with widespread soil testing. Therefore, financial incentives such as governmental cost sharing or tax incentives should be included in this legislation.

"Soil testing can address the growing problem of nitrogen runoff. Not only is this a logical way to deal with the environmental problem of runoff, but it could also reduce a farmer's input costs, especially with the high costs of nitrogen fertilizers," added Mitchell.

‘The ACGA will work with Senator Bond and Congressman Tanner to include our AWQRP into their current legislation. The combination of this program and the Fishable Waters Act will help provide clean water for generations to come. This will allow production agriculture to play a responsible role in solving a serious problem that effects the lives of our children and all Americans," Mitchell added.