Augusta, Maine-Legislators are amending an existing phosphate law to ban its sale and use on lawn and turf grass in most cases, according to the Maine Farm Bureau. The state has prohibited since 1993 the sale or use of any high phosphate detergents. Now the legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources is putting the finishing touches on a bill (LD587) that permits phosphate only for starting a new lawn or if soil tests from an accredited laboratory indicate that it’s needed, reported Farm Bureau Executive Director Jon Olsen. Any dealer selling fertilizer containing phosphate would be required to identify the product with an approved sign stating the restrictions. Olson told Green Markets that the committee’s final bill eliminates requirements that any phosphate applied to lawns must be tilled and provides exemptions for hydroseeding and sod farming. High phosphate detergent use also has been exempted for cleaning dairy, food processing, and industrial equipment. “With the changes,” he added, “the committee now has a bill which is agreeable to all.” At the same time, Maryland legislators are considering restricting phosphate in dishwasher detergent to help clean up Chesapeake Bay. The bill would reduce the allowed amount from the current 7 percent to a half a percent. The detergent industry has warned that the action would force households to live without the cleanest dishes, but supporters report that there are a number of phosphate-free soaps already available. Washington state, prompted by pollution in the Spokane River, voted last year to require soap companies to curtail phosphates.
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