I am a homeowner who spends every Saturday doing some type of yard work. I cut my grass in the spring and summer using my John Deere riding mower and trim my grass using my gas-powered trimmer. In the fall, I use my commercial backpack gas blower blowing the leaves that fall from the numerous trees I have on my property. I have an office job during the week and I enjoy spending my time doing yard work on Saturdays. I take pride in the work I do and the gas-powered lawn equipment I have invested in and care for is essential for the work I need to do.
Although I have always just ignored The Baltimore Sun’s misguided editorials and gone on with my day, the recent editorial, “Time to prune gas-powered leaf blowers in Maryland” (Nov. 27), bothered me to the point where I must respond.
You have not fully considered how an immediate ban would affect a homeowner like me. First, with an immediate all-out ban there would suddenly be thousands of lawn mowers, blowers, trimmers, chain saws and snowblowers that are still useful and operable but can no longer be used or if used would subject the user to fines. The banned equipment would either sit in the homeowner’s garage or shed or be taken to a local trash collection facility. Does each county have the capacity to suddenly accept thousands of pieces of banned lawn equipment?
Second, my yard work still needs to be done but I would be forced to pay the cost of replacing all my gas-powered lawn equipment with battery operated equipment. I estimate it would cost me $8,000 to $10,000 to replace all my gas-powered lawn equipment with battery-operated equipment. Most of the battery powered equipment available on the market is not comparable to my gas-powered equipment. For example, there is not a battery powered leaf blower I could find on the market that has the power and capacity of my gas-powered blower so I can quickly clear the many leaves that fall or blow onto my property. The time for me to clear my leaves would increase substantially.
Carefully consider a more gradual, reasonable and practical approach.
— F. Lee Elrick, Phoenix
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