First Name | Marty |
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Last Name | McClung |
Email Address | marty@westernmower.com |
Affiliation | Western Mower & Engine |
Subject | Difficulty for proposed small engine ban |
Comment | I have operated a small engine sales & repair business since 1984 and have 5 employees with thousands of customers who depend on the small engine industry. I first want to say I am concerned about our environment and want to do my part in keeping it clean but I also know banning all small engines by 2024 is not really feasible with the technology in place now or by 2024. All of the brands we represent have been designing new and environmentally conscious equipment but some products cannot be replaced with electric power. Here are some concerns listed: Among the problems of using battery powered commercial landscape equipment, there are: - issues related to charging many batteries such as fire hazards to a facility - limits of electrical circuits in a facility - limits of power availability to a facility that would be charging at least 1,000 batteries for 50 landscape crews in 1 day (assuming mowers, blowers, etc would all be using batteries, 20 5ah batteries per crew which is a bare minimum, not mowing much grass) - limits of personnel to work overnight to rotate batteries - limits of "peak hours" where electricity is rationed exactly when landscapers would need to charge many batteries in the evening - inability to continuously generate electricity from a gas powered generator in an emergency We have been involved with homeowners and business owners that suffer from power loss, fires, flooding and other losses and our gas powered small engine equipment has been a life saving resource to help them! This cannot be taken lightly. There are also thousands of workers that depend on small engine equipment to make a living and yes beautify California some would suffer huge financial losses if this ban goes into affect on 2024. I would suggest our government looks for more information on implementing electric power for small equipment and will talk with industry leaders in our field to see if the proposed restrictions will work. |
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2021-11-12 14:14:34 |
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