Soon it’s going to cost you more to mow your lawn, and the Christian Science Monitor doesn’t mind because it’s all in the name of a cleaner planet.
“[H]elp is on the way. Thanks to a new rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency this week, homeowners will finally be able to buy mowers that give their lawn a truly clean cut,” wrote Mark Clayton of the Monitor.
But it was not homeowners who pressured mower manufacturers to lower emissions, but a mandate from the EPA. According to the new rule, beginning in 2011 small engines like those used in lawn tractors must filter out “an additional 35 pollutants … in addition to the 60 percent reduction mandated last year.”
“That’s good,” according to the Monitor because lawn mowers emit “far more” pollution than automobiles.
But the Monitor deemphasized costs saying mowers may cost “a few dollars more.” That understated an EPA estimate printed in the USA Today: “Costs of the new rule could add up to $47 to the price of a lawn tractor …”
James McNew of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) said that even the EPA estimate is too low – only about 25-30 percent of what OPEI estimates. So costs could be couple hundred dollars higher for a lawn tractor.
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The amount of time I spend in
April 20, 2007 - 16:59 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveThe amount of time I spend in one year behind my lawn mower pushing it around my 3500 sq ft of lawn pales in comparison to the amount of time I spend behind the wheel of my car in a couple of weeks. In a pound-for-pound comparison I would probably agree that lawn mower exhaust is dirtier than an automobile's, but to suggest the same in real-world use is ridiculous.
Most people don't buy new mowers every year or even every other year. I've had mine for 4 years now and it's still going strong...and as long as I give it a tune up every couple of years and keep it from rusting out, it will probably last me another 10-15 years easily. Anyway, the eventual replacement of current technology mowers with the new EPA approved ones could take a couple decades or more to be close to complete.
Are they going to outlaw or regulate dirt bikes and ATVs next?
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and then toss it in the face of the person who gave you the lemons until they give you the oranges you asked for in the first place!" --Bill McNeal, NewsRadio episode 3.17
The EPA is one of many consti
April 20, 2007 - 18:05 ET by mattmThe EPA is one of many constitutionally questionable government agencies that has severely over-stepped. This was known to be a danger by the Founders who warned us about the power-hungry nature of government.
And, along with other paens
April 20, 2007 - 18:20 ET by sarcasmoAnd, along with other paens to big government like Tricky's wage & price controls, the EPA indirectly-led to the formation of the Libertarian Party.
JMR
Remove perfically good underg
April 20, 2007 - 20:15 ET by upcountrywaterRemove perfically good underground tanks, replace them with plastic tanks (gas stations)...Now pick on folks with functioning cess pools, rip em out replace them with plastic septic tanks and leech fields.. Now these KOOKs are going into my garage to swipe my lawn mower. Good , now I'll pave my yard over with BLACK assfault !!
Detonated Plutomium has a very large carbon footprint.