Olympia, Wash.-Washington state legislators have stopped short of banning phosphorus in lawn fertilizer effective in 2013 under a bill signed earlier this month by Gov. Chris Gregoire. “It was initially thought to have an outright ban on the sale phosphorus, but it turned out that homeowners who want it for new or damaged lawns will have to request it from dealers,” according to John Stuhlmiller, director of government relations for the Washington State Farm Bureau. Stuhlmiller said the bill doesn’t restrict phosphorus in fertilizers for agricultural uses, vegetables, or flowers, but does include golf courses. In signing the bill, Gregoire said she was disappointed the bill does not exempt fertilizer made from organic materials such as manure. Although they contain phosphorus, using them as fertilizer is a good way to manage waste, she said. But because the bill doesn’t take effect until 2013, she urged the sponsors and other legislators to take that issue up in next year’s session. The bill did note that of approximately 60,000 lakes in Washington, only a small percentage have phosphorus issues and that rivers with high levels are being affected by natural sources, activities in upstream states, fish hatcheries, and other non-turf sources. Other states with similar bans have not been able to show a corollary reduction in water phosphorus levels. Stuhlmiller also noted that a petroleum tax that would have affected fertilizer appears to be a dead issue for this session. “There is still a lot of uncertainty because the budget and tax package have not been settled at this point,” he offered. “But at this time it appears that that package is unlikely to pass although legislators are still looking for sources of additional revenues.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain