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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced Ohio Farm Bureau Senior Director of Policy Development and Environmental Policy Dr. Larry Antosch as a member of the Great Lakes Advisory Board, an EPA federal advisory committee.

Administrator Wheeler re-established the GLAB in December 2018 to provide advice and recommendations on matters related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.

“The advice received from the board in past years has been a critical part of the work EPA has done, and continues to do, to restore and protect the Great Lakes,” Wheeler said. “Our work cleaning up the Great Lakes is far from over, and GLAB’s future efforts will ensure needed expertise is available for environmental agencies to use both here in the U.S. and in Canada.”

Antosch and 13 fellow members will serve as representatives of nonfederal interests and report to the administrator through the Great Lakes National Program Manager. The members represent a broad range of interests, including business groups, environmental organizations, academia and state, local and tribal governments. The members’ Great Lakes expertise, leadership experience and community involvement creates a diverse board that will help the agency restore and protect the Great Lakes.

“Having an agricultural representative on this advisory board is a huge opportunity for not only Ohio Farm Bureau, but for Ohio agriculture and essentially for agriculture all across the Great Lakes region,” Antosch said. “I will be able to reach out to my counterparts in other Great Lakes states and to the American Farm Bureau to share the board’s discussions and receive real world feedback to take back to the board as we make decisions moving forward.”

One of the first tasks at hand for the Great Lakes Advisory Board will be addressing the nutrient reduction needs and goals to meet the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and moving forward with the implementation of that agreement.

“I foresee a lot of interaction with what Ohio is already doing with Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative,” Antosch said. “That program will play a pivotal role in the region’s water quality efforts.”