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Ohio Seeks to Coordinate Lake Erie Algae Effort

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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – Ohio’s environmental agency says it wants to better coordinate the state’s efforts to significantly reduce what’s feeding the harmful algae in Lake Erie.

The plan obtained by The Associated Press calls for putting the Ohio Lake Erie Commission in charge of overseeing the work.

It’s one of several regulatory proposals being pitched to state lawmakers Wednesday.

State and federal money aimed at tackling the algae in Lake Erie has been on the rise since Toledo’s water was contaminated in 2014.

But Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency director says more coordination is needed to make sure that money is going toward the right projects.

Ohio pledged last year to seek a 40 percent reduction in the phosphorus runoff that fuels the algae in the lake’s western end.