Getting artificial trans fat out of restaurants is one of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest ways for a city, county, or state to save lives and health care dollars. Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg and the rest of the County Council should be applauded for boldly protecting the health of the region's restaurant-goers and for setting an example for town councils or state legislatures from coast to coast.

I hope this move also captures the imagination of officials at the Food and Drug Administration, which is, after all, based in Montgomery County. The FDA has long dragged its feet on a proposal we filed with the agency several years ago to phase out partially hydrogenated oils nationwide. How many cities, counties, and states will have to act on their own before FDA is shamed into action?