Providence Special Committee on Environment & Resiliency-Wed. Sept. 24, 2025-5:30 PM
Preliminary Discussion and Call to Order
The committee members engage in brief informal conversation before officially starting the meeting. The chairperson then prepares to read the first items into the record.
Item 1: Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment Ordinance
The committee discusses an ordinance amending Chapter 12 of the Code of Ordinances to phase out gas-powered lawn equipment. The chairperson outlines key changes made to address small business concerns, including seasonal use allowances and shifting fines to property owners.
Amendment to Item 1
A committee member points out a typographical error regarding the phase-out date in the ordinance text. A motion is made and approved to amend the date to January 1, 2027.
Vote on Item 1
The committee votes on the motion to approve Item 1 as amended. The motion passes unanimously.
Item 2: Utility Permits Ordinance
The committee introduces an ordinance amending Chapter 23 regarding utility permits and enters a document from Verizon into the record. Due to ongoing policy revisions, a motion is made and approved to continue the item to a future meeting.
Item 3: Public Comment
The committee opens the floor for public comment on the agenda items. A representative from Verizon provides testimony regarding the operational impacts of the proposed utility permit changes.
Speaker 0
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I think I think councilman Espinal wants to joke that I was gonna try to run against. I'm like, no chance.
Speaker 1
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Lord, no.
Speaker 2
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You all being here. Can you please read item number one and two records? An ordinance and amendment of chapter 12 of the court of ordinances of the tribute of providence entitled health and sanitation as amended to the to add article seven gas powered law enforcement. Yep. Second.
Speaker 2
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Excellent. Motion by consent. Thank you by councilor Reyes. All in favor? Aye.
Speaker 2
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I think that's excellent. Awesome. So we're gonna talk about the GammaPardon on equipment ordinance and the stuff we have in front of you. I just wanted to walk through what the two of you were before we vote. I know you've had a chance
Speaker 3
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to talk about it.
Speaker 2
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I also wanted to publicly express gratitude to all the advocates who came out to our public hearing that happened this spring. We had to come up with me on written and verbal, And, also, further gratitude to both Rinla and the advocates for this who met with me several times over the summer to really try and find a way that we could meet in the middle. And, again, while I am really committed to phasing out the use of Gap card leaf blowers for all the reasons that we've discussed, we also really don't want to harm, prevent, and small businesses. And so while I totally understand that the preference of the company and from the landscapers is to knock things out, I really did try to address some of the religious concerns while honoring the intention to phase out. So I just wanted to walk through some of the changes that I need to try and honor the challenges of lean and small business in Maryland while still moving forward with this phase out of gas flowers.
Speaker 2
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So the four things I wanna flag are we clarified the definition of what is. So this only pertains to heat blowers that are powered by internal combustion engines that that use gas or or other liquid fuels. We took out the leak vacuuming and other leak gathering devices because that made it really broad and included things that we weren't we didn't need to necessarily phase out. The amendments are in this, like, orangey color, like, black one. Let's see.
Speaker 2
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We also we also restricted the phase out of so the phase out begins with with the allowance of using gas leak lowers during a certain time of the year. So starting in 2027, can we even do something? I'm not like that. Gas leak blowers can only be used during the fall, so there's, like, certain dates carved out. What I heard from the land seekers was that the equipment just now is not powerful enough for our autumn time.
Speaker 2
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And so giving him a little bit of time, limited time to use the more powerful equipment and then the use of the currently less powerful electric equipment during other times of the year was was a preference. And so I I tried to honor that to allow the use of it for a period
Speaker 3
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of time, but not the
Speaker 2
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whole year. Mhmm. And then the two other things, one is that the fines are actually on the on the property owner, not the company. So it's meant to say the if somebody is using a and that's to clarify both that the this pertains to regular people using gas and dwellers in their own homes and also folks who are using services. Not So everyone is hiring a service.
Speaker 2
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It also contains just the regular people. And so, like, if it's just a regular person that's in business to find so it's the finance bond with property owners who are contracting with this company. And we did clarify with Rinna and the and folks who are using floors that, like, there's no reason that, like like, they can't also just use like, if the service hasn't yet bought a gas leak floor. Like, if I have a business, and I haven't yet had the opportunity to buy a gas leak floor, but you contracted me. You have an electric leak floor.
Speaker 2
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Can use your equipment
Speaker 3
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at your house, which is
Speaker 2
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no, issue. So that was, like, a thing for them. Just like, there it is. And then, also, I did have conversations with the office of energy resources to share with them the concerns and challenges that that Rimla members had Rimla's members in the med kit association had accessing the state incentive program, and they have made changes to the state incentive program relatively to, hopefully, make it something that people can actually. So try to make those changes.
Speaker 2
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Try to still do the things that will honor the request of the businesses. I know that the ultimate request is to not do this, but this is in front of you from my perspective. Gaffney blowers will have we already talked with this at the last meeting, but are incredibly toxic for the environment and found really bad for. Also, it's really bad for blowing things around and getting in people's lungs, and the sound of the gas pumps is really bad for for folks who are working from home or just in their houses. So I hope I can have your support on this, and happy to answer any questions.
Speaker 2
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Or you can just, like,
Speaker 1
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I do not have any motions. I just definitely wanna applaud your due diligence in, working with so many, stakeholders, to get to the point where we are. You know, this, topic, you know, when you see in the news or or on social media, it definitely gets a lot of interest and speculation. But as currently written, I feel this is something that we should all be supporting and definitely moving our city in the right direction. So much gratitude to you, chairperson.
Speaker 4
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I have a comment and then a question Yeah. Chair regarding the program at the state level. Yes. But I I shared similar sentiments. Think I appreciate the accommodations you made as much as you could.
Speaker 4
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And I know the sentiment is probably not to go for phase out as you said, but I do appreciate all of the thought behind this and trying to understand the issues of small business owners. But how this is laid out in the amendment, I I fully support it. The if I could just explore a bit more, you had said that there's recent changes to the state program.
Speaker 3
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Yeah. Could you talk more about that?
Speaker 2
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Yeah. Did do a little bit about that. So the state program, but I met senators earlier, and had advocated for a program of $250,000 at the state level to support the transition for businesses to go from gas hardwood floors to electric roof floors, and the feedback that a lot of and it was undersubscribed. And so we worked really hard to chat with for to get them to reinstate it for the next fiscal year because it's supposed to sunset on June 30, and she worked really hard with Office of Energy and her colleagues in the general assembly to get it extended so the money would still be there. And my understanding from working with the talking with the landscapers was that the amount of money you you could only get, like, one, like, one extra battery or something.
Speaker 2
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It just, like, wasn't really working with businesses, reading that paperwork and process that can do. And so my understanding is it kind of streamlined the processes and kind of relaxed the rules a little bit. So it's not just for nursery and landscape businesses, but also municipalities and nonprofits now can also apply. So if you're like and I think I need specific nonprofit because I don't want it. If you're a nonprofit who does work, what requires a, you know, whatever, you now can apply for this program as well as a way to try and, like, make it something that's more quality
Speaker 3
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out. Mhmm.
Speaker 2
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So it was good. Yeah. I hope that we can see more programs to help folks transition because there is, like, a you know, you have to change their equipment. The part of the reason the full fades out is until January is to give folks that time to phase out their equipment and not just gonna replace something they just bought. I know a lot of that.
Speaker 2
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My kids wanted to phase out to me, like, immediately, and we're trying to, like, make sure something will soon be without being. Right.
Speaker 4
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Thank you.
Speaker 3
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That's very much.
Speaker 2
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Yeah.
Speaker 0
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Yeah. I just wanted a question. In 12 dash one thirty four, I see that it maybe something just didn't get changed.
Speaker 4
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Oh, no.
Speaker 0
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Because I see 01/01/2028 in the top paragraph, and then it goes down to 2027.
Speaker 2
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Oh, thank you for providing that. Yeah. It's supposed to be 2027. So that is. Claire, how do we fix that?
Speaker 2
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Are you reporting that?
Speaker 3
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Yeah. To make a motion to amend it to Okay. Say 01/01/2027. Okay. Thank you.
Speaker 3
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That was
Speaker 2
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a mistake. Had a motion to amend that to 01/01/2027?
Speaker 1
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So second.
Speaker 3
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All in favor? Awesome. Second. Thank you.
Speaker 2
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Well, if there's no further questions or comments, is there a motion to is there a motion?
Speaker 1
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Motion to approve item one as amended. Second.
Speaker 2
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Motion in second. All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Yay.
Speaker 2
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Motion back is Okay. Okay. Item number two. Could you please read item number two in the record? An ordinance and amendment of chapter 23 of the court of ordinances of the city of Providence entitled streets, sidewalks, and public places as amended to change articles on section 23 through 35 relating to utility permits.
Speaker 2
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Awesome. Do we have to enter this thing from Verizon into the record?
Speaker 3
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You can enter it as an extra.
Speaker 2
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Okay. Ryan, would you have entered this thing from Verizon into the record and exhibit one?
Speaker 1
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Oh, second.
Speaker 3
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I'll favor it. Alright. Alright. Great.
Speaker 2
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So for this one, we had planned to vote on this tonight. Our amazing policy director, Aaron Easter Gardner, is working through a few additional amendments based on, like, late conversations we had with some folks yesterday. And so we I would request a motion to continue.