A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Maryland's Revised Phosphorous Rules to be Phased In

Don Rush

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has released changes to proposed regulations that would crackdown on pollution from phosphorous after pulling them late last month.

The new revised rules would be phased in through October of 2014.

This will give farmers time to look at their nutrient management plans to gage how much their application of manure will be affected by the new regulations.

Bill Satterfield, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Incorporated, told the Salisbury Daily Times that the new rules would be better for the poultry community calling it a step forward for the chicken industry.

He also said that the agriculture department plans to set up locations throughout the state where farmers could take poultry litter free of charge.

Satterfield added that he expects there will be more money from cost-sharing programs in the proposal.

The paper reports that Julie Oberg with the Agriculture Department would not confirm that the new proposal would include those changes but said that officials and stakeholders would examine ways to address manure storage and transportation issues.

The new proposals were released after a meeting with “key stakeholders” to deal with environmental and farming concerns.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.