RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Environmentalists are hailing the General Assembly’s passage of a bill that would bar the Virginia sale of fertilizer containing phosphorus for use on established lawns.
Phosphorus and nitrogen are major Chesapeake Bay pollutants and the focus of a massive, multistate effort to restore the estuary.
The legislation was endorsed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the James River Association and segments of the real estate industry.
Effective in 2013, the ban could reduce phosphorus pollution into the bay by at least 230,000 pounds a year.
The legislation is headed to Gov. Bob McDonnell.
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