When did the new fertilizer regulations start, and which area did they primarily affect?

• A. July 2015: Regulations affecting nitrogen and phosphorus application in specific watersheds in the Western Lake Erie Basin.
• B. June 2015: Regulations addressing pesticide storage on farms.
• C. July 2014: Regulations affecting fertilizer container transport.
• D. January 2016: General fertilizer labeling requirements.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is the timing and scope of the new fertilizer rules. These rules began in July 2015 and focused on how nitrogen and phosphorus are applied in specific watersheds within the Western Lake Erie Basin. The aim is to reduce nutrient runoff that can contribute to algal blooms in Lake Erie, so the regulations emphasize practices in that particular region, not general fertilizer topics or other unrelated regulatory areas. The other options point to different topics (pesticide storage, fertilizer container transport, general labeling) or different start dates, which don’t match the regulations described.