"Lax regulations and mismanaged applications in the US are to blame for the tons of nitrogen fertilizer that runs off into waterways each year and contributes to water and air pollution, cancer and environmental damage, according to a report released Monday.
US farmers annually apply over 11 million metric tons of nitrogen fertilizer, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), making it the most used fertilizer in the country. The new report, published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), finds that an estimated half of these nutrients aren’t taken up by crops, but leach into the environment instead in ways that cost the US billions of dollars annually in water treatment costs, beach closures and habitat loss. Most of the costs hit small and rural farming communities, the report states.
“Excessive fertilizer use is poisoning water, air and wildlife … it is outrageous and unacceptable,” said J.P. Rose, a director of soil health, nature at NRDC and co-author of the new report. “We need commonsense guardrails on nitrogen overapplication and runoff.”
Regulations, technical assistance and financial support aimed at preventing fertilizer overuse and mismanagement could help stop this nitrate pollution crisis without reducing farm productivity, the authors write."
