Gov. Inslee Bans Gas Powered Leaf Blowers at Capitol – Not Green Enough, Too Noisy

He prides himself on his self-described "laser-beam" focus, but apparently only when it comes to the environment.

Taxpayer money will be used to purchase mufflers for gas-powered leaf-blowers that are used to pick up leaves around the state capitol in Olympia this fall, because according to The Olympian Newspaper,  Gov. Inslee and other officials say they're too noisy.

Add to that the fact that at the Governor's mansion,  Inslee has already demanded (and gotten his way)  electric leaf blowers be used because they're more "green" than those 'horrible, polluting' gas models!

Inslee tried to get Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark to replace the gas models around the capitol with electrics, but that move failed when testing showed the electric models don't have the power to deal with the roughly 80 tons of leaves that are collected on the capitol grounds.

But it gets even funner.   Apparently a number of legislators have bought into Inslee's "all-green, all the time" way of thinking.   Money was actually spent researching how it would cost to rake the leaves by hand, according to the Olympian:

"To do the work by hand with rakes, which Democratic state Sen. Kevin Ranker has suggested, would require seven new staffers at a cost of about $256,000 a year, according to Jeff Whitehead, operations manager for the DES buildings and grounds program. He said raking also would put 10 percent to 20 percent of the workers at risk of repetitive motion injuries."

While the gas blowers appear to be staying put,   Goldmark, Inslee and other Democratic legislators were successful in putting in place a "blowing" moratorium.    Grounds workers will only be allowed to move and collect leaves and debris during certain hours, when the sounds of their blowers won't drown out the "important work"  these legislators are doing....like figuring out ways to hide $1.00 or more gas increases from the public?

Ever heard of earplugs?   Or try closing the window!  Even with the taxpayer-funded mufflers, apparently the leaf blowers are still "too" loud.

Too bad he can't apply that type of "laser-beam" concentration and effort into finding ways to improve the business and economic climate in Washington state.