Policy process and problem framing for state Nutrient Reduction Strategies in the US Upper Mississippi River Basin

To address the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, US Mississippi River Basin (MRB) states have developed Nutrient Reduction Strategies (NRSs) following a framework outlined by a US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) memo in 2011. In this study, we documented the process of NRS formulation and implementation by states based on qualitative interviews with 34 policy actors involved with NRS development in seven Upper MRB states a decade after the NRS framework was introduced. Our objectives were to (1) describe and compare stakeholder perceptions of each state’s NRS policy stages; (2) identify common challenges, accomplishments, and innovations resulting from the NRSs; and (3) explore the role of the 2011 USEPA memo as a catalyst for nutrient reduction action. We found that the USEPA policy memo was generally acknowledged as a catalyst for initial planning, but most interviewees framed the policy problem primarily around concern for local waterways compared to the Gulf of Mexico as a motivation for sustained policy development and implementation. Multistakeholder forums were a commonly cited success of the NRS development processes. Implementation challenges included the voluntary nature of most options to address nonpoint source pollution and the scale of practice implementation needed to achieve goals. There were differences both within and among states with respect to the importance and effectiveness of one USEPA framework element—establishing numeric nutrient criteria.