Sub. H.B. No. 643 Summary

• Allocates $20,000,000 to the Department of Agriculture for a Soil and Water Phosphorus Program to reduce total phosphorus and dissolved reactive phosphorus in the Western Lake Erie Basin, with priority to highest-nutrient-loading subwatersheds.

• Appropriates $3,500,000 in FY 2019 to soil and water conservation districts in the Western Lake Erie Basin for staffing, soil testing, nutrient management plans, and conservation support activities.

• Adds $2,650,000 for the Ohio Sea Grant Program to construct new laboratory space at Stone Laboratory and purchase in-lake monitoring equipment including real-time buoys and water treatment plant monitoring sondes.

• Increases bond authorization for the Ohio Public Facilities Commission from $429,000,000 to $431,000,000 for higher education improvements and from $24,000,000 to $34,000,000 for Ohio Parks and Natural Resources Fund projects.

• Establishes a $10,000,000 Healthy Lake Erie Initiative within the Department of Natural Resources to support projects reducing open lake disposal of dredged materials into Lake Erie by 2020.