Annapolis, Md.-Similar bills have been introduced in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia legislatures that would follow the lead of New Jersey in imposing tight restrictions on turf use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. None of the proposals would apply to fertilizer used in agriculture, but would instead focus on private residences, businesses, golf courses, cemeteries, public properties, and other such locations. According to the Chesapeake Bay Commission, which is championing the proposed legislation, the sale of phosphorous fertilizers would be allowed only on newly established lawns, where soil tests show phosphorus was needed, or to repair turf. Nitrogen would also be limited, and no de-icing agents containing fertilizer could be sold. In the Maryland bill, which preempts local restrictions, fertilizer application on lawns would be banned from Nov. 15 to March 1, or when the ground is frozen, or to impervious pavement, and would be extended to professional applicators. Labels must contain a warning not to apply near water, storm drains, or drainage ditches, or if heavy rain is expected. Commercial applicators would need to be licensed and trained and maintain records of the amount of nutrients they applied to the land and plants. The Maryland Department of Agriculture and the University of Maryland would be responsible for getting out the word to consumers within one year of enactment of the bill.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain