The Boulder City Council on May 16 decided against pursuing new regulations on gas-powered leaf blowers and other landscaping tools, at least for the next year or so.
Gas-powered landscaping equipment is harmful to air quality and the health of workers. It is also noisy. But city officials recommended against new rules, including a previously considered gas-powered leaf blower sales ban, citing equity concerns. Some businesses would be able to afford new electric equipment, while others might not, city officials suggested. Approximately 80% of the lawn care workforce in Boulder County is Hispanic, according to city officials.
Instead of new rules, city officials plan to continue through the end of the year a recently launched pilot program providing a point-of-sale voucher for people buying electric lawn care equipment. And if anyone is going to be held accountable by future rules, city officials said it should be property owners, not workers.
For more background on the issue, see our previous reporting.
Boulder should have been ahead of the whole state of California enacting this ban. And stop the landscaping that requires it. There’s also the air quality impact of the low income workers commuting to town, just to service this perceived “need”.
If the real concern were minority workers, then gas powered blowers and mowers should be abolished. The workers then get good healthy exercise and clean air to work in to boot. Plus no damage to the ear drums, so less likelihood of early deafness. Abolishment is all gain and no loss….; council did the whole town and its minorities a great disservice
As a 3rd generation Boulder, born and bred citizen, I am now 72 years old and disabled. I reside in the house my parents bought in 1957. First the city puts in a long sidewalk on the edge of my property, so now I have to pay a service to remove snow in the winter. Now the city wants to fine me for the service who does my lawn and leaves as they are Vietnamese and use gas powered trimmers and mowers. They haven’t been doing trimming, and since I have trouble walking, I am trying to do the trimming myself. I guess I have to pay the fines as I need this service! All this for the “environment” or what?
Landscaping companies frequently run several leaf blowers at the same time. They move from house to house, creating noise all day long and during the most beautiful time of year to be outside. This problem can only be addressed by outlawing the use of gas leaf blowers. Gas lawn mowers are not an issue, as they are operated for much shorter periods of time.