Mat-Su residents should go ahead and use a leaf blower for all their household chores if they feel like it, according to a resolution passed by the Mat-Su Assembly last week.
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The Matanuska-Susitna Assembly unanimously approved the resolution during a regular meeting Tuesday.
The resolution was drafted in response to an Anchorage law that bars the use of leaf blowers to push large quantities of dust into the air, said Maxwell Sumner, who sponsored the resolution. Sumner represents District 4, which includes Wasilla. The longstanding law bans such equipment when it is used to create so-called “fugitive emissions” that reduce air quality, according to Anchorage code.
“Apparently, we can’t make things extra legal. They can just be legal or not legal. But if I could do the exact opposite of the Anchorage Assembly on this one, I would,” he said. “This is just reminding people that we did not outlaw leaf blowers, and you are free to use leaf blowers and clean your yard if you see fit.”
An April Facebook post by the Municipality of Anchorage Public Works Department triggered an outcry when it asked residents to “say no to leaf blowers” because of the city’s air quality laws.
“Leaf blowers and any similar equipment are prohibited for sweeping purposes,” the post states.
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The new Mat-Su resolution also “encourages residents to be considerate neighbors by using outdoor power equipment responsibly, including being mindful of excessive noise, dust, and appropriate hours of operation.”
While the newly approved measure is silent on other uses for leaf blowers, assembly members were not as they discussed the measure Tuesday.
Assembly member Michael Bowles said he likes to use one to blow snow. Assembly member Bill Gamble said he uses one to clean the ceiling inside his house.
“There are more than just outdoor uses for leaf blowers,” he said. “I have a prow front house with high ceilings, and lights along, and a ceiling fan, and I use my leaf blower to dust.”
Anchorage officials said using a leaf blower to “move clean leaves or light organic material” may be legal in the municipality as long as it doesn’t trigger fugitive dust, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
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