From the AP, via Corner:
SPOKANE, Wash. — The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don’t work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation’s strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states.
A procedural question: Was the ban an actual piece of legislation or was it done by the administrative bureaucracy interpreting a delegation of legislative authority to them?
Update: It looks like it was an actual bill. Will the people of Washington ask their representatives to repeal it?
What ever happened to the Right's demands for Federalism and its insistence upon the virtues of the "laboratory of the States." That only seems to apply when it comes to legislation regarding race and sex, (i.e., restrictions regarding each), not varying legislation regarding the economy or environment. So some people don't like it - deal with it. My God, they might even have to wash dishes by hand. The horror.... the horror...
Where is the criticism of federalism here? If the people of Washington want such a law, they may have it. That's why the key question is whether it was the people's representatives who made the law. The other half of federalism is about choice. I would rather not live in a state where my neighbors wish to tell me what kind of dish soap to use.