California

Brickbat: The (Artificial) Grass Is Greener

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In 2015, in the midst of a drought, California lawmakers banned cities and counties from prohibiting synthetic grass. The logic behind the law was that artificial turf was better for the environment because it saved water. But state lawmakers now argue artificial turf is bad for the environment because it contains so-called forever chemicals such as PFAS. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of PFAS in synthetic turf but not because he disagreed with the law. Rather, Newsom said the law did not contain any method to enforce the ban on PFAS.