The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) released a new policy memorandum on Accelerating Nutrient Pollution Reductions in the Nation’s Waters. The memo reaffirms the USEPA’s commitment to working with Federal agencies, State co-regulators, Tribes, water stakeholders, and the agricultural community to advance progress in reducing excess nutrients in our nation’s waters.
“Nutrient pollution is one of America’s most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems,” says Radhika Fox, USEPA Assistant Administrator for Water. At the same time, promising innovations, creative partnerships, holistic One Water solutions, and unprecedented opportunities to invest in clean and safe water through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have the potential to rapidly accelerate progress on nutrient pollution. Our nutrients memo is a call for scaling up the innovative approaches being used by farmers, ranchers, water agencies, local municipalities, industry, and communities to make progress.”
In the memo, USEPA commits to deepening existing partnerships and fostering new collaboratives with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), States, Tribes, territories, agriculture, industry, and the broader water sector. USEPA says it will support innovation and pursue science-based and data-driven strategies to reduce excess nutrients in our nation’s waters. Critically, it will also provide technical assistance and other support to help States, Tribes, and territories scale effective nutrient loss reduction strategies. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also provides dedicated resources to accelerate efforts, such as the work happening through the Gulf Hypoxia Taskforce on States’ nutrient reduction strategies. USEPA will also continue to evolve and implement the Clean Water Act regulatory framework to holistically address nutrient pollution.
Under the policy memo, USEPA says it will prioritize nutrient pollution reduction, treatment, and mitigation activities that help protect public health and the environment in our most vulnerable communities. Disadvantaged communities across the country disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental impacts from nutrient pollution and lack the resources to address these issues on their own.
Learn more about the USEPA’s efforts to address excess nutrients at: https://www.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data.