Tell Your PA Representative to Support the Lawn Fertilizer Bill

From PennFuture (http://www.pennfuture.org):

A bill could receive final votes in the state House of Representatives soon that would significantly improve our waterways impacted by nutrient pollution in Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 251 – known commonly as the Lawn Fertilizer Bill – would help clean our waterways by modernizing how lawn fertilizers are regulated in Pennsylvania while also raising current standards that are applied to the lawn care industry. This bill originated in the state Senate, but now sits in the House waiting for consideration.

This is a big deal for ongoing efforts to cut water pollution in Pennsylvania, if only because excess lawn fertilizer routinely gets washed away by rain and other precipitation and swept into local rivers and streams. Nutrient pollution – of which fertilizer is a significant contributor – is one of the leading causes of water pollution in Pennsylvania.

Considering that Pennsylvania’s fertilizer regulations haven’t been updated since 2001, it’s clear that the time is now to get this critical legislation approved by the General Assembly. Specifically, Senate Bill 251 would:

• Establish a new professional certification program. Participants would learn proper fertilizer-application rates and demonstrate their commitment to clean water, providing consumers confidence that their lawns are cared for by trained professionals and that their services are professional grade.
• Provide a new statewide standard for fertilizer application.
• Create a homeowner and agricultural education program to provide information on best practices for fertilizer use.

Clean water is not a partisan issue. In Pennsylvania, it is a constitutional right. We all benefit from healthy rivers and streams, including Pennsylvania’s economy and communities.

Do your part today at https://pennfuture.salsalabs.org/senatebill251/index.html and contact your elected official in the House of Representatives, where the bill could come up for a vote in the coming days, and ask for their support for SB 251. Thank you!