Trump Administration Plans to Reduce Nutrient Pollution
Senior Trump Administration officials hosted a roundtable in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, focused on identifying opportunities to reduce nutrient losses across the country.
“The Trump Administration’s nutrient roundtable discussion produced a rich conversation on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for reducing nutrient losses in the Mississippi River Basin,” said David Ross, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water.
“EPA looks forward to convening more of these roundtable discussions in the future so that we can better focus federal resources to address this environmental challenge and deliver more effective results for the American people,” he said.
[ Theme for World Environment Day: Air Pollution ]
The roundtable was held on May 15, 2019, in advance of the Hypoxia Task Force meeting and attended by more than 40 representatives from state and local governments; non-governmental organizations; industry associations; and senior leadership from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
During the roundtable, administration officials provided updates on coordinated nutrient reduction efforts and participants explored new opportunities for market-based coordination and federal support for ongoing state nutrient reduction activities.
Nutrient pollution is one of America’s most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the water.
This excess nitrogen and phosphorus can travel to coastal areas where the effects of pollution are felt in the form of algae blooms, hypoxic zones, and other surface water quality concerns.
Under the Trump Administration, EPA is focusing its attention on reducing nutrient losses through enhanced federal and state coordination and stakeholder engagement.
