Governor Hogan releases enhanced Phosphorus Management Tool regulations
After more than a year of controversy and debate about the Phosphorus Management Tool, Governor Larry Hogan unveiled his four-part plan on Monday.
Governor Hogan reportedly used the November 2014 PMT proposal as a starting point, but made four enhancements that make a compromise between the agricultural community while addressing concerns over protecting the Chesapeake Bay.
According to Governor Hogan’s office, the enhancements are as follows:
1. Ensure adequate time for farmers to fully understand and plan for new requirements. The proposal shifts the seven-year implementation schedule originally proposed such that all farms will start implementing the PMT one year later, effective 2016, with full implementation in 2022. This shift preserves the provision to allow farmers two full years to have nutrient management plans developed using both the existing Phosphorus Site Index (PSI) and the new PMT before management changes are required.
2. Assure agricultural producers that critical elements are available for implementation. The state will evaluate key elements that need to be in place, including: markets to relocate additional amounts of manure; adequate infrastructure to handle and transport manure; and alternative uses and new technologies to begin to provide new outlets and markets for animal manures. Evaluations of these elements will be conducted for each respective tier as it prepares to transition from each management level and to full PMT implementation.
3. Enact an immediate ban of additional phosphorus on soils testing the highest. Upon adoption of the regulations, fields with a soil Fertility Index Value (FIV) of 500 or greater will be banned from receiving additional phosphorus until the PMT is fully implemented, currently scheduled for 2022. These are the fields that are at the highest risk of phosphorus potentially leaving the farm and entering nearby waterways.
4. Provide comprehensive information on soil phosphorus conditions statewide. Beginning in 2016 and every six years thereafter, soil test phosphorus data will be collected for all farms in Maryland subject to nutrient management plan requirements. This data will provide the Maryland Department of Agriculture with accurate soil fertility data to monitor trends in phosphorus levels and help identify potential areas to redistribute newly available manure.
For more information, visit the Maryland Department of Agriculture website.
