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Off to the Super Bowl See page 12 M
Olympic hopeful gets a taste of Hollywood By Yaneek Smith Press Contributing Writer news@presspublications.com
Lake Erie, directly across the street from the Lake Erie Research Center, Oregon, during the water crisis. (Photo courtesy of University of Toledo, Lake Erie Center)
Phosphorus a major concern
Farm manure permits challenged By Larry Limpf News Editor news@presspublications.com Some farm math: Researchers at The Ohio State University calculate a 1,400 pound dairy cow “produces” about 25 tons of manure annually. Multiply that by, say, 1,000 or more cattle housed in a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) facility, and you have a lot of manure. And the phosphorus in the manure leaching from farm fields to tributaries of Lake Erie was one of the major concerns expressed by the public to the International Joint Commission as it prepared the Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority report released in 2014. But it’s not just the volume of manure at CAFOs that worries Larry and Vickie Haskins of Bloom Township in Wood County. A lawsuit they filed in U.S. District Court in Toledo contends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio’s EPA and Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) have violated federal law covering permits for the facilities in the state. Although Judge David Katz last month denied their request for a preliminary injunction to block the ODA from issuing any more permits for CAFOs without authorization from the U.S. EPA, they remain con-
Saving Lake Erie A special 3 week report from The Press Inside... • $8 million construction to eradicate toxins • Ozone to fight algae • Deeper commitment needed to save lake vinced their case is strong and look forward to a hearing. According to their suit: • The U.S. EPA has been aware the ODA has been administering the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program for CAFOs but hasn’t granted the department authority to do so. • The federal EPA is the administrator of the Clean Water Act, including NPDES permitting, but states may seek approval to administer parts of the act and the permits. In 1974, the Ohio EPA and U.S. EPA reached agreement, allowing the Ohio EPA to oversee the permit program in the state. Regarding CAFOs, the state EPA regulatory process included a Permit to Install, Permit
to Operate/wastewater management plan and an NPDES permit. • The Ohio EPA administered the permitting program and issued more than 100 permits for CAFOs. • But a state law went into effect in 2001 that transferred regulatory authority for CAFO permits from the Ohio EPA to the ODA. The ODA and EPA reached agreement in 2002 to transfer the authority but the state didn’t notify the federal EPA until 2006 of the transfer as required by federal law. • Consequently, the ODA has “knowingly violated” federal law by not getting the federal EPA approval for permits prior to issuing them, the lawsuit states. Ironically, the Haskins attempted to file their lawsuit the day before the water emergency was in effect last August in Toledo, but due to a problem on the court website, it was filed the following Monday. Vickie Haskins said she is especially troubled by what she sees as loopholes in regulations that allow manure to be transported off-site for use as fertilizer on other fields. “The ODA is supposed to work with CAFO owners and operators to develop manure management plans so the massive amounts of manure generated by the CAFO are properly applied to meet the agronomic
Olympic wrestling hopeful and Oak Harbor native J.D. Bergman had the unique experience of working on the movie Foxcatcher, which stars Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, and playing a wrestler in the film, which is currently in theaters. The film is based on the true story of two Olympic champion brothers, Mark and Dave Schultz, who trained at a wrestling facility located at the home of multimillionaire and wrestling enthusiast John du Pont, who develops a complex relationship with the men before things turn hostile. Foxcatcher, which has been nominated for five Academy Awards and currently has a rating of 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, is directed by Bennett Miller, who directed other noteworthy films like Moneyball and Capote. Bergman says he enjoyed the experience immensely. “I just saw it a couple weeks ago,” he said. “Bennett Miller did a great job. He wanted it to be authentic. He doesn’t mind working with amateurs. The extras, you could tell in their faces (they) were trying to act, and it didn’t look natural. He just said to do what you would (normally) do in this situation — give us an outline. It was very organic. “The movie was a little dark and dreary, but it was very well done. It was a good film and I was honored to be a part of it. After filming a scene with Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell, I hadn’t actually met Carell, and after filming that scene I had the courage to talk to him and I said, ‘It was a huge honor to work with you. I’ve seen every episode of The Office, and I’m a big fan.’ He said, ‘It’s my pleasure, too. You were hilarious.’ When Steve Carrell says you’re hilarious, it’s a good day.” In a scene that he was filming with Ruffalo and Carell, Bergman did his Arnold Schwarzenegger impression, something the cast got a kick out of. Unfortunately, that scene did not make the final cut. “They wanted to get people’s reacContinued on page 6
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We’re back to work, we love each other…we’re happy to be home. Bernie Quilter See page 11
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