Fluoride Action Network

State Supreme Court to take up Port Angeles fluoride petitions

Source: KONP radio | May 7th, 2009 | Article

(Olympia) — The state’s highest court will review an effort to get fluoride out of the city of Port Angeles water supply.

The state Supreme Court agreed last week to review the case of two intiatives that sought to stop the city from adding fluoride to the water.

Local environmental group “Protect the Peninsula’s Future” sought the high court review.

The fight over fluoride has lasted nearly three years, when two petitions were filed with the city. Neither has made it to the ballot after lawsuits blocked them.

A Superior Court judge found the initiatives dealt with administrative rather than legislative issues and that’s outside the scope of the city’s initiative process.

Later, the state Court of Appeals upheld the lower court ruling. It agreed the right to regulate utilities has been delegated to the city council and citizens can’t bring intiatives regarding that operation.

The Supreme Court is expected to decided whether local intiatives are subject to pre-election review. State initiatives measures currently are not subject to those same reviews.