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                                                                                                 U.S. NEWS Friday 21 June 2024
            U.S. bans on gasoline-powered leaf blowers grow, as does

            blowback from landscaping industry



            By WAYNE PARRY                                                                                                      to power cars and homes is
            Associated Press                                                                                                    drawing  opposition  from
            TRENTON,  N.J.  (AP)  —  The                                                                                        business groups and numer-
            roar of the leaf blower has                                                                                         ous device owners, the move
            become  an  inescapable                                                                                             by  government  to  force  a
            part of daily life in communi-                                                                                      switch  to  battery-powered
            ties across America, leading                                                                                        leaf blowers has the indus-
            towns and states to ban or                                                                                          try complaining of increased
            restrict blowers that run on                                                                                        costs and decreased perfor-
            gasoline.                                                                                                           mance under the new regu-
            But the measures face blow-                                                                                         lations. "My company, I have
            back from the landscaping                                                                                           $150,000 to $200,000 worth of
            industry and some property                                                                                          gas-powered blowers," said
            owners  who  say  that  the                                                                                         Goldstein, head of the New
            battery-powered  blowers                                                                                            Jersey  landscapers'  group.
            favored  by  the  legislation                                                                                       "What am I supposed to do,
            are costlier and not nearly                                                                                         throw them in the garbage?"
            as effective as the gasoline-                                                                                       New Jersey's proposed bill,
            powered ones.                                                                                                       like others enacted in several
            "If you look at what this ma-                                                                                       U.S. cities, would provide fi-
            chines does, how loud it is,                                                                                        nancial  assistance  to  the
            how  much  it  pollutes,  it's   Antonio  Espinoza,  a  supervisor  with  the  Gras  Lawn  landscaping  company,  uses  a  gasoline-  industry  to  defray  the  cost
            not normal to be accepted    powered leaf blower to clean up around a housing development in Brick, N.J. on June 18, 2024.  of purchasing new battery-
            where  we  live,  where  our                                                                       Associated Press  powered blowers.
            children play," said Jessica                                                                                        Cost is not the only concern,
            Stolzberg, a writer and cru-  leaf blowers has the indus-  the industry says it is willing  ban in California starts next  Goldstein  said.  "It's  retrofit-
            sader against gas-powered  try complaining of increased  to make in the interest of still  month, and similar measures  ting  your  truck  to  be  able
            leaf blowers who helped get  costs and decreased perfor-  being able to use the more  have passed in Washington,  to charge batteries through-
            a ban on the machines en-    mance under the new regu-    powerful gas-powered blow-   D.C.,  Portland,  Oregon;  out the day," he said. "And
            acted in her hometown of  lations. Though several local  ers when they are needed  Montgomery County, Mary-         by  doing  that,  you'd  have
            Montclair, New Jersey.       communities have already  most.  "New  Jersey  is  bom-   land;  Burlington,  Vermont;  to keep your diesel engine
            Since that ban took effect  enacted full or partial bans  barded with leaves and stuff  and Evanston, Illinois, among  running,  and  that  causes
            last October, "Montclair has  on gas-powered leaf blow-   to clean up," said Rich Gold-  other places.              another  issue.  This  is  just  a
            been  a  healthier,  cleaner,  ers, New Jersey is considering  stein, president of the New  Doug O'Malley, director of  terrible idea."
            quieter community," she said.  banning them statewide. A  Jersey Landscape Contrac-    Environment  New  Jersey,  He also said two-stroke en-
            But  the  ban  is  being  chal-  state Senate committee on  tors Association, representing  said  more  than  100  cities  gines, while less fuel-efficient
            lenged in court by landscap-  Thursday  advanced  a  bill  550 companies in the state.  across the U.S. have banned  than  four-stroke  ones,  can
            ers, she added.              that would ban such blowers  "We're not California, we're  or  restricted  gas-powered  do things that the more ad-
            Just  as  the  push  to  move  most of the year, but would  not Florida. We have leaves.  leaf blowers, which he called  vanced models can't, such
            away from burning fossil fu-  allow ones using four-stroke  The average house in New  a major source of pollution.  as being turned sideways to
            els to power cars and homes  combustion  engines  to  be  Jersey, you take away 30 to  He said using such a blower  reach  into  hard-to-access
            is  drawing  opposition  from  used during peak cleanup  50 cubic feet of leaves each  for an hour creates as much  places.  Maplewood,  New
            business groups and numer-   periods  in  spring  and  fall.  fall. That's a lot of leaves."  pollution as driving a car for  Jersey Mayor Nancy Adams
            ous device owners, the move  (Dirtier  two-stroke  models  Gas-powered  blowers  are  1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers).  said her community banned
            by  government  to  force  a  would be phased out after  being targeted by govern-     But just as the push to move  gas-powered blowers in Jan-
            switch  to  battery-powered  two years.) It's a compromise  ments across the country. A  away from burning fossil fuels  uary 2023. q



            WHO and Eli Lilly caution patients against falling for fake versions

            of popular weight-loss drugs


            The Associated Press         online sales and social me-  Novo  Nordisk  has  issued
            The World Health Organiza-   dia  posts  involving  phony  similar warnings in the past
            tion and drugmaker Eli Lilly  or  compounded  versions  about its medications.
            and Co. are warning peo-     of  tirzepatide,  the  active  WHO said patients can pro-
            ple to be wary of fake ver-  ingredient behind its drugs  tect  themselves  by  using
            sions of popular weight-loss  Mounjaro and Zepbound.      prescriptions  from  licensed
            and diabetes medicines.      The     Indianapolis-based  physicians to buy the medi-
            WHO  said  Thursday  that  company  said  it  was  the  cations.  The  agency  said
            it  has  fielded  several  re-  only lawful supplier of those  patients  also  should  avoid
            ports  of  fake  semaglutide  drugs, and it does not pro-  buying  the  drugs  from  un-
            —  the  active  ingredient  vide  tirzepatide  to  com-   familiar sources.
            in  Novo  Nordisk's  Wegovy  pounding      pharmacies,  Lilly  said  any  products
            and  Ozempic  —  in  all  wellness  centers  or  online  marketed  as  tirzepatide
            geographic  regions  of  the  retailers.                  and  not  Mounjaro  or  Zep-
            world since 2022.            Lilly said fake versions of its  bound  were  not  made  by
            Lilly  said  in  an  open  letter  drugs frequently advertised  the drugmaker and are not   This  photo  combo  provided  by  the  FDA  shows  an  authentic
            that  it  was  "deeply  con-  or  sold  online  are  never  approved by the U.S. Food   Ozempic needle, left and a counterfeit needle, right.
                                                                                                                                            Associated Press
            cerned"  about  growing  safe to use.                     and Drug Administration.q
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