Leaf Blowers Come Under Fire in North Carolina City

CHAPEL HILL -- The Town Council agreed Monday to look into the idea of banning gasoline-powered leaf blowers in town, at the request of Councilman Cam Hill.

Hill's eight colleagues on the council agreed to send his request to Town Manager Cal Horton, who will come back with a report about the idea at a future council meeting. The council didn't give Horton a specific deadline.

Earlier on Monday, Hill pointed to the noise and air pollution generated by gas-powered leaf blowers as his main reasons for wanting to outlaw them within Chapel Hill town limits. He said that, if not an outright ban, then he might favor some kind of limit on the hours when blowers could be used.

"I've had a number of comments both ways," Hill said about his proposal. "There are plenty of people who support this. I just want to get the discussion going.

"A leaf blower doesn't do any real work, in my opinion," he said. "People use them for so many other things, and it just doesn't work. All it does is move dust from my yard to your yard."

Hill said one of the comments came from a friend who is a landscaper. Hill said the friend can't believe he actually is making the proposal, but he contended there were other ways to deal with leaves and other functions for which people use blowers.

"If you're going to wait for the federal government to clean up the air, we're going to be waiting for a while," Hill said. "Everybody's got to do something. This could be one of the ways we could start."

Eight people spoke on Hill's petition on Monday, including landscapers Brad Williams and Ken Robinson, who were strongly opposed to the idea of banning blowers. Williams said it would have a "drastic economic impact" on his business and others.

Representatives of Mid-Atlantic Stihl and Outdoor Equipment Distributors also spoke against the idea, while residents Dan Coleman, Joe Herzenberg and Diana Steele expressed support. Jane Hudson also backed Hill's request, on behalf of UNC's Student Environmental Action Coalition.

Sam Jordan, of Mid-Atlantic Stihl in Hillsborough, described leaf blowers as versatile, thorough, efficient and easy to use, while Mason Farm Road resident Steele called them a "real abomination" and expressed chagrin at seeing teams of UNC grounds employees chasing "a single leaf" across campus with blowers.

The council almost always agrees to receive petitions and refer them to the town manager, particularly when the request comes from a council member. It's never a sure thing that a vote in favor would follow.