Now that leaf blowers are being stored for the season, snow blowers are getting cranked up. Though windows will be closed and most of us will be sheltering inside, the pollution caused by gas powered landscaping equipment of all kinds – including snow blowers – was the subject of debate last week.
Gas-powered equipment is much louder than electric equipment. Of course, the noise is more than just annoying – it poses a significant health threat as well. For example, most gas-powered leaf blowers exceed 70 decibels measured at 50 feet, which is considered dangerous to hearing. Additionally, this noise impacts the immune system, causes adverse cardiovascular effects, and impairs the learning, hearing, sleep, and language development of children. Acoustic research also shows that gas-powered leaf blower’s distinctive low frequency noise penetrates further than other machine-generated sound waves, even through solid walls.
This is not only annoying to the public, it damages the hearing of the landscaping workers, especially when the equipment is used repeatedly over long periods of time. Landscaping workers are more likely to suffer from depression, and are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
These machines are not only staggeringly loud, but they also produce a shocking amount of air pollution. And the pollution from those millions of landscaping machines adds up. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, fossil fuel-powered landscaping equipment emitted tons of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that can cause serious public health and environmental damage. Overall, New York ranked fourth (behind California, Florida and Texas) for climate pollution from gas-powered landscaping equipment, with emissions estimated at 1.37 million tons, the annual equivalent of the emissions from more than 300,000 cars on the road. The state ranked third (behind Florida and Texas) when comparing fine particulates (PM2.5). Fine particulates can damage people’s hearts and lungs.
Of course, a national ranking can mask local impacts. At a news conference last week, health, environmental and community groups released data on the impacts on a county-by-county level. Fossil-fuel-powered landscaping equipment releases fine particulates and greenhouse gases in every county in New York, with Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Monroe, Erie counties and the borough of Brooklyn, being the largest generators of greenhouse gases from this source.
The data was released on a regional basis, with Westchester residents exposed to the largest amount of emissions in the lower Hudson Valley, Albany County in the Capital District, and Saratoga County in the Upper Hudson/North Country region.
Westchester residents were exposed to over 143 thousand tons of greenhouse gas, the equivalent of the emissions of 31,500 cars, as well as 124 tons of particulate matter, the equivalent of over 1.3 million cars.
New Yorkers don’t need to give up well-tended lawns; there is an alternative. Gas-powered landscaping equipment can be replaced by cleaner, quieter battery-powered tools that have the same power. For most of us, we purchase our landscaping equipment when the existing one has run out of life. Often that can take years to occur.
However, for big users – local governments, large institutions and landscaping companies, they can go through landscaping equipment within a matter of months – or even weeks. The problem is that usually battery-powered equipment is more expensive, even if it is quieter and cleaner.
Weaning New York off of gas-powered landscaping equipment and moving toward electric was the focus of the groups that released the pollution data. They were urging Governor Hochul to include in her budget a financial incentive program to help offset the cost differences for the big users – municipalities, institutions and landscaping companies – to encourage them to purchase electric equipment as the need arises.
The groups’ request tracks legislation that has widespread support among lawmakers. The concept also has broad-based public support, including from over one hundred public health, environmental and community groups, equipment manufacturers, and equipment retailers like Home Depot.
Electric landscaping equipment is generally cleaner, quieter and easier to use. These electric alternatives are often just as capable as their fossil fuel-powered counterparts and, over a lifetime of use, cost less to operate.
It’s time to join the call for cleaner, quieter landscaping equipment in New York. Hopefully, Governor Hochul, through her executive budget power, will join the call.
It all started innocently enough: When we asked where our stored electronic information went, we were told “the cloud.” Sounds nice. Information stored in a puffy white setting. Of course, there is no information “cloud,” our data is stored in computers. Stored in computers that are housed all over the country – indeed sometimes the world.
The number of computers to store our data, process online transactions, and handle our internet information requests and computations, is incredible. With the rise of the use of A.I., so-called “artificial intelligence,” the projected demand for computer space and capabilities is mushrooming and accelerating.
With that demand comes the need for more and more access to computers, computers that are stored in massive buildings, and now being built all around the nation and at an increasing speed. Those computer buildings are known as “data centers” and their thirst for energy and water (for cooling) is virtually insatiable.
The construction and use of these data centers is driving a rise in utility rates all across the nation and New York is not immune. Indeed, recent government reports now expect a significant rise in energy based on an explosion in industry demands for more data centers and this will result in higher electricity prices. That’s of particular concern for renters, homeowners and small businesses, which are already struggling to pay their energy bills.
Given the “affordability” concerns and environmental threats that result from the massive growth in the number of data centers, New York policymakers must develop policies to protect the state.
So, what should they do? Here are six ideas.
First, insulate the public from getting stuck with the bill if the data center flops or falls short. New Yorkers have seen this movie before; when some “can’t miss” economic development program do miss. There are growing concerns that the need for these data centers is over-hyped. New York policymakers must demand that under no circumstances should a new data center be built using any public support until guarantees and claw-back provisions are contained in required contracts with state and/or local governments.
Second, those contracts must be made available to the public without redaction. One national review of data centers found that required permitting for data centers were shielded from public disclosures using the “trade secrets” exemption allowed under states’ public access laws. New York grants those too. It must not be allowed when granting public benefits of any kind to data center construction or use.
Third, among the provisions of any such agreement between government and data centers, there must be a provision of expected water consumption by the facility. There must be regular, ongoing monitoring and public reporting of whether such water use is being used as expected. Let’s not overlook the noise from these facilities; noise impacts should be carefully considered in the review process and contracts and permits must be in place to ensure the facilities operate quietly.
Fourth, not one residential utility ratepayer dollar should be – directly or indirectly — used to subsidize the data center. New Yorkers already pay among the highest rates in the nation. Data centers are expected to need a fantastic amount of electricity; they must not be driving up utility rates for New Yorkers.
Fifth, every high-energy demand project’s infrastructure and operations should meet the highest current standards for energy efficiency and minimal environmental impacts – from energy consumption, to water use, noise and electronic waste creation. They should be obligated to meet regularly and upgrade their efficiency to meet ever evolving standards.
Sixth, not one electron from the existing grid should be used to power data centers. Another way to jack up utility rates is to subsidize data centers by diverting current electricity in the grid to power data centers. We have already heard the chorus that New York needs more power due to the rising need for electricity as the state moves away from relying on fossil fuels. Part of those estimates are boosted by the purported need for more and more data centers. If the owners of data centers want power, they should get their own. Moreover, whatever power they use must relying on “green” sources, not oil, coal, gas, or nuclear. New York should tell data centers “B.Y.O.R.E.” – bring your own renewable energy.
All across the nation energy costs have risen faster than inflation since 2022, with greater increases ahead. The causes include load growth from data centers, increasing electric transmission and distribution infrastructure and maintenance costs, extreme weather, and supply chain disruptions.
There is little we can do in the near term about the expenses resulting from protecting the grid from extreme weather and rising heat that are the products of a worsening climate. But data center costs – both financial and environmental – must not be part of the mix.
New York already has data centers and other energy “hogs.” But we have not yet experienced the explosion of data center construction and energy use seen in other parts of the nation. We should learn from those other experiences. As ratepayers, we should demand policymakers act on our behalf, not Big Tech’s.
