Soucheray: Curiously, they excused snowblowers from lawn equipment bill

Our chosen worthies plan to make Minnesota the quietest and cleanest state in the nation by the year 2040. That's simply 17 years from now, when all electrical energy produced in Minnesota will be produced by the result of carbon-free production, significance, mostly, solar and wind.

There's absolutely nothing quieter than old Sol. It simply sits up there and doesn't make a peep. The wind can rattle a window once in a while, but that's just soothing white noise in the grander pursuit of the cleanliness and hush of the sacristy in the Church of Our Mother Earth.

Why, just 12 years from now, all automobiles sold in Minnesota needs to be electrical. That not just introduces more quietude, however more cleanliness, too. You can practically taste the air that is coming our way.

And so long as our most informed scientists and engineers hold bulks in the state House and Senate and the governor's office, they have much more and better concepts.

Home File 1715 was presented recently. DFL Reps. Heather Edelson of Edina and Jerry Newton, from up Coon Rapids method, have actually proposed a law to restrict the sale of non-electric lawn and garden devices. On or after Jan. 1, 2025, they composed, "new yard and garden equipment sold, marketed or dispersed in or into Minnesota should be powered entirely by electrical power.".

Helpfully, Edelson and Newton list the products predestined for the Museum of Our Once Evil Ways: lawnmowers, leaf blowers, hedge clippers, chainsaws, lawn edgers, string trimmers and/or brushcutters. To put it simply, every internal combustion tool in your garage will be kaput if this passes and they desire this to happen in simply 21 months.

It certainly seems wasteful to dispose of such perfectly useful executes, but Heather and Jerry must have seen that 2040 electrical energy due date and then the 2035 EV due date and chose to go all in. Jerry didn't want to talk when he was reached, stated he already talked to someone and didn't want to talk further.

Strangely enough, they exempted snowblowers. Did they simply forget? Or did someone get to them and talk them off the ledge? Electric snowblowers are notoriously poor in real snow. They might work to clear off a small landing or a pathway about 10 feet long. If that blessed wind (which we need for electricity, remember) blows in a monster foot or more of the genuine things, you'll be stuck inside expecting sunlight so your heater will work.

Heather and Jerry didn't forget winter. In House File 2016, they need all Zamboni makers to be electric.

I believe I know what happened. We have actually handled to choose, from the governor's office on down to Heather and Jerry, people who believe that Minnesota has its own air. Our air never crosses state lines. It's our air and it needs to be dry cleaned. The have that old jingle "from the land of sky blue waters" stuck in their craw, and similar to the sky in all the Little Golden Books they check out, they believe it needs to always be a best sky blue.

It's our air and it's various from the air in China or India or Ohio or Canada - - well, not Canada if there takes place to be a wind blowing smoke our method from a distant fire.

Thank you, Heather and Jerry and all the remainder of the deep thinkers in the Legislature. You've got it all found out.

Joe Soucheray can be reached at jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com.

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