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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Down To Earth

Friday Quote II: Lisa Brown on “Green Lawns, Clean Water Bill”


This just in from Sen. Lisa Brown's newsletter: On Tuesday my seatmate Representative Andy Billig was the prime sponsor of House Bill 1271 commonly referred to as the “Green Lawns, Clean Water Bill.”  This bill would limit phosphorous in commercial lawn fertilizers.   A similar bill was introduced last year, but didn’t make it all the way through the Legislature before the end of the 2010 Legislative Session.  I want to see it go all the way to the Governor’s desk this year and have signed on to a companion bill SB 5194 that was introduced Tuesday as well in the Senate.  Phosphorous in fertilizers rarely penetrates the soil, and instead runs directly into our waterways, such as Long Lake and the Spokane River – where one pound of phosphorous can create up to 500 pounds of harmful blue-green algae. The bill includes exceptions for phosphate application, such as when seeding a new lawn or agricultural purposes.  Good, lake- and river-friendly alternatives already exist, and our Green Lawns, Clean Water bill will help make both them and phosphorous-free waterways the standard throughout the state. The problem of toxic algae blooms is one facing other states as well.  Limiting phosphorus in fertilizer is an economical solution with proven results. I applaud Representative Billig for demonstrating such strong leadership in just his second week in the Legislature to ensure our region’s most valuable environmental resource is protected.

 



Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.