NCGA Requests Independent Review of All Science Related
to Hypoxia (9-7-04)
New research by the
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
Region 4 office calls into question most of the science underlying
the Hypoxia Action Plan, prompting the National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) to demand an independent review of all of the science related
to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Corn growers feel somewhat vindicated by the new research
that appears to contradict earlier findings that blamed farmers
and nitrogen fertilizer for Gulf hypoxia,” NCGA President
Dee Vaughan said. “However, we are disturbed by the inconsistencies
between the initial studies on hypoxia and the conclusions reached
are just now being brought to light.”
The new report found
that phosphorous – not nitrogen – may
be the cause of Gulf hypoxia, a deficiency of oxygen that occurs
when an excessive amount of nutrients cause superfluous algae growth.
An earlier study, conducted by the White House Office of Science
and Technology’s Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources
(CENR) targeted nitrogen, a nutrient found in numerous agricultural
inputs, as the cause of Gulf hypoxia.
Using CENR’s findings, the EPA issued an “action plan” in
2000 that called on the agriculture industry to implement measures
that would reduce nitrogen loads coming down the Mississippi River
by 30 percent. The new EPA report said that both nitrogen and phosphorous
should be controlled, but a greater emphasis should be put on phosphorous.
Ultimately, the report concludes that EPA does not have enough
science-based information to justify the aggressive point and non-source
point strategies outlined in the action plan.
“The new science creates a significant credibility gap not
only in the research but also in the action plan,” Vaughan
said. “We believe EPA must resolve this issue in order to
restore our confidence and to add sound science to the debate.”
Vaughan said NCGA will continue working with EPA and others to
improve the science of hypoxia by addressing local water quality
issues, implementing best management practices and working with
rural communities.