I have a packet of material on my desk on this, Here's the highlights:
The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) has proposed restrictions on the operating hours on all portable power equipment below 25 hp. It would prohibit the operation of these devices between the hours of 6am and 12 noon from April through October in certain counties in the Houston area.
The two really stupid parts of this ill-conceived restriction are:
1) the TNRCC's report (which goes on for 21 pages) specifically states the purpose of the proposed rule is an "air pollution control strategy" to delay the emissions of NOx (a greenhouse gas). As far as I have been able to find out, small, 2 cycle engines do not produce significant quantities of NOx
2) The TNRCC's report states that the purpose of the proposed regulation is to "Delay the emissions of NOx from these engines until later in the day, thus limiting ozone production." Ummm....has anyone from the TNRCC actually walked outside during a summer day in Houston? Ummm...what part of the day is the hottest? So, if the law goes into effect, at noon every day, at the height of summer, EVERY lawncare company in the Houston area will be turning on one or more small 2-cycle engines.
The report goes on to say that while there would be an economic impact to small businesses in the area, that impact cannot be measured. They suggest that lawncare companies could shift their work hours to later in the day.
So how do you guys in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties feel about working until 9 or 10pm every night, doing your trimming by flashlight...probably having to backtrack to finish cut & trim jobs you started in the morning (cut in the morning with an over 25 hp mower, return to the same customer in the evening to trim with the handheld trimmer)?
Hearings on this proposal will likely be held in mid-September. The TNRCC has a web site:
http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us
If anyone has any other questions, I'll try my best to anwer them.
David G. Cassidy
Editor
TURF Magazine