OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The House of Representatives approved a bill to limit the use of fertilizer containing phosphorus, among several other environmental-protection measures.
The Washington Environmental Priorities Coalition lobbied for legislation against phosphorus-based fertilizer as one of its top priorities this year, saying that phosphorus used in lawn fertilizers contributes to harmful algae blooms in lake and river water.
Opponents argue that phosphorus is an important binding agent in soil, and that to single it out as the only factor in algae blooms is misleading, when waste and decaying matter also contribute to such blooms.
Lawmakers in the House approved about a dozen other bills, including one to improve the state’s oil spill response procedures and one prohibiting the sale and application of coal tar sealants in order to prevent storm water pollution.
