Oh no, I mean we're funny.

I just did that.

I think I think Councilman Aspinol wants to joke that I was gonna try to run against no chance.

Lower nose.

So I feel like that's it.

You were all safe.

Okay, let's get early.

Yeah, um, well to the special committee on environment resiliency.

I'm comfortable in two Anderball with three chair of the committee.

Um please call it Chair and Block.

Excellent.

Um, could we please oh I want to recognize that our new member of the system may start doing that?

Or maybe we're and also have a yellow from the policy staff.

Yay.

Um, thank you all for being here.

Um, can you please read item number one into records?

An ordinance and amendment of chapter twelve of the court of ordinary projects and titled health and sanitation as amended to us to add articles that I'm powered on.

Awesome.

And um we have an amendment in front of you.

Um someone made a notion to substitute this.

But what is there a special substitute to substitute the question?

So excellent motion that I have to stand up.

I think that's excellent.

Um, we're gonna talk about the gas carbon lawn equipment ordinance um and the publication you have in front of you.

I just wanted to walk through um what the changes were um before we vote.

I know we've uh had a chance to talk about it.

I also wanted to publicly express gratitude to all the advocates who came out to our public hearing that happened this spring.

We had technology on written and verbal, and also further gratitude to both Rinla and the um advocates for this um who met with me several times over the summer to really try and find where we can uh meet in the middle.

And um, again, while um I am really committed to phasing out the use of gas car leaf blowers for all the reasons that we've discussed.

We also really don't want to harm Rodon small businesses.

And so um while I totally understand that the preference understands the public, I know from the landscapers is to not have phase out.

I really did try to address some of their largest concerns um while honoring uh the intention to phase out.

So I just wanted to walk through some of the teams I need to try and honor the um challenges that we need to call business in Raven um while still moving forward with this phase out of gas leaf blowers.

So the four things I want to flag are we clarified the definition of what leaf road is that this only pertains to leak flowers that are um powered by internal combustion engines that use gas or other liquid fuels.

Um we took out the leaf vacuum and other leaf gathering devices because that made it look really broad um and uh uh included things that we weren't we didn't need to necessarily phase out.

Um the um amendments are in this like orangey color, um it's like black one.

Um let's see.

We also um we also restricted the um uh phase out of so the phase out begins with just the allowance for using gas a flowers during a certain time of the year.

So it's starting in 2027 believe in Joseph, I'm not like that.

Gas leaf flowers can only be used during um the fall.

So there's like certain dates um carved out.

What I heard from the um landscapers was that the equipment just now is not powerful enough for our autumn uh time.

And so giving them 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 uh was uh was a preference.

And so um I tried to honor that to allow the use of it for a period of time, but not the whole year.

Um, and then the uh two other things one is that the fines are actually on the um on the property owner, not the company.

So it's meant to say the if somebody is using a gas, and that's to clarify both that the this pertains to regular people using gas leave uh blowers in their own homes, and also folks who are using um services, so not everyone who's hiring a service, it also pertains to the regular people, and so like if it's just a regular person with a business to find um so it's the fines on the property owner so contracting with this company.

Um, and we did clarify with Rinla and the leave and folks who use leaf blowers that like there's no reason that um like they can't also just use like if the service hasn't yet bought a gas leaf flower, like if I have a uh landscape business and I haven't yet had the obviously buy gas leaf flower, but you contract with me, you have an electric leaf flower.

I can use your equipment at your house.

There's no like issues.

So that was like a thing for them, which is like um there it is, and then um also I did have conversations with the Office of Energy Resources to share with them the concerns and challenges that the um that RingLA members had written the center and the landscape association had accessing the state and center program, and they have made changes to the state and center program for electric leaf blowers.

Um, but to hopefully make it something that people can actually address.

So try to make those changes, try to still do the phase out while honoring the requests of the um businesses.

I know that their ultimate request is to not do this, but this is important to do from my perspective.

Um, gas leaf blowers are uh we already talked about this at the last meeting, but are incredibly toxic for the environment, really bad for greenhouse gases.

Um, also just really bad for um blowing things around and getting in people's lungs and the sound of the gas funds is really bad for for folks who are working from home or just in their houses.

So um, I hope I can have your support on this and happy to answer any questions.

Or you can just like motion.

Um I do not have any motions that are just definitely want to applaud your due diligence in uh uh working with so many uh stakeholders uh to get to the point where we are um you know this uh topic uh you know see in the news or or on social media definitely gets a lot of interest and speculation.

Um as currently written, uh I believe it's a sample that uh we should all be supporting as we uh moving our city in the right direction.

So much gratitude to you uh thank you, chair personal.

Um I have a comment and then a question from the chair regarding uh the program at the state level.

Yes.

Um, but I I shared similar sentiments.

I think um I appreciate the accommodations you made as much as you could.

Um, and I know the sentiment is probably not to go with a phase out as you said, but I do appreciate um all of the thought behind this and trying to understand the issues of small business owners.

Um but um how this is laid out in the amendment, I I fully support it.

Um the if I could just explore a bit more.

Um you had said that there's recent changes to the state program.

Yeah, could you talk more about those?

Yeah, I can show a little bit about that.

So the state program, um uh councilman, but I met senators earlier, and Rhett Boylan had advocated for a program of 250,000 um at the state level to um support the transition for businesses to go from gas hardly flowers to electrically flowers and the feedback that a lot of and it was undersubscribed, and so Rebecca Williams worked really hard, shout out to him for um uh 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 uh her colleagues in the general assembly to get it extended so the money would still be there.

And um, my understanding from working with uh talking with the landscapers was that the amount of money you you could only get like one like one extra battery or something, it just like wasn't really working with the businesses reading amount of paperwork and processing that you and so my understanding is it kind of like 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 I don't think I need specific map product because I don't know if you're a non-profit who does work that requires a flower, you know, like whatever you now can apply for this uh program as well as a way to try and like make it something that's not probably out.

So um those good.

Um yeah, I hope that we can see warrant programs to help folks transition because there is like a you know, you do have to choose that equipment.

Um part of the reason the poll phase out is until 233 is to give folks that time to phase out their equipment and not just gonna replace something we just bought.

Um, I know a lot of advocates wanted to phase out to be like immediately.

Um, and we're trying to like make sure it's something folks can do without being appointed.

Right.

Thank you.

That's very interesting.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um, I just wanted a question on in uh 12-134.

I see that it maybe something just didn't get changed.

Um, I see January 1, 2028 in the top paragraph, and then it goes down to 2027.

Oh, thank you for flagging that.

Um, yeah, it's supposed to be 2027.

So that is um Claire, how do we fix that next?

Are you recording that?

Yeah, um, to make um a motion to amend it to say January 1, 2027.

Okay, thank you.

That was a mistake.

Um had a motion to amend that to January 1, 20 minutes.

So move second.

All favorite.

Thank you.

Great.

Well, if there's no further questions or comments, is there a motion to um uh is there a motion?

Virtual to approve item one as amended.

Motion and second, all in favor.

Uh all opposed.

Yeah, looking back with that.

Okay, um, item number two.

Um we please read item number two.

We have a record and ordinary and amendment of chapter 23 at the political ordinances of the city of Providence entitled Streets, Sidewalks, and Public Places as a mandate to change articles on section 23 through 35 relating to utility premise.

Awesome.

Um, do we have to enter this uh thinking verizon to the record?

You can enter it as an extension.

Okay, can I motion to enter um this thing from Verizon into the record and one?

No move second.

All in favor of it.

All right, um great.

So for this one, um uh we have 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.

Um, and so uh we I would request uh a motion to um continue.

Motion to continue item to second.

Excellent motion made second, all in favor.

All right, excellent.

Okay, so we're gonna continue that.

I would follow up with the date for October for the meeting so we can uh continue to move on that.

Um, but I'll follow up the people.

some folks yesterday um and so uh we i would request uh a motion to um continue motion to control i will second excellent motion name second all favor uh excellent okay so we're gonna continue that i would follow up with the date for october for the meeting so we can uh continue to move on that um but lots of kind of i'll follow up the people maybe not here with um we need to leave the item three into the uh then uh the public ones how about the pocket nice um did i could i sign in how about daring if you could say the name for the record we have it written down we could state your name and then say what everyone's saying okay you know what we can say it's the end would have made you happy is not okay my name is Darryl uh good evening chair perfectly walk uh any members of the committee members like anyone see the direct construction plan where I don't have to see uh construction operations of each in various states where we have customers um they're all a brief comments of the proposed ordinance of the amendment traffic when we four ordinances have street side ones and places uh is how's the goal minimized instructions for residency this is any second to right that that's probably uh many of the practices outline proposed in the ordinance such as detail schedule and notification are extended practices with the cost right uh however some of the proposed requirements that change the current process we create significant operational changes uh there's unintentionally late connections uh surface respiration like four how the net operates uh all the farm is very cost that we all have that we're committed to the collaborating confirming framework and uh balance community with operational feasibility uh just to make sure that we have processes we can move together really then just respectfully request that we review any ones in the framework that we will uh just make sure operation these people that's great thank you appreciate your comments and and welcome to city hall for first time first off here um andrew oh hi my name's I'm gonna okay and I am a classic IMAR oh great you don't have to comment oh yeah welcome yay we're glad to have you um brand were you with us been a long day I know I think that my letter it's your turn oh yeah here two reasons you want to go on the agenda here one is all the same thing with the state thing way down um what is all of the oh everybody's cycling action grinding one of the reissue brand new side of the fashion and the argument is that well we're gonna recycle no we've got a lot of reflecting a long time problem and 10 years ago we transitioned from the movement to a little thing with features oh maybe second thing oh let's see what happened well anyway I was going to already talk about you did not do our technique so now it's gonna we're at hand us and knocking the door is not poll wise everybody's talk and fashion and uh not step one that'll be step four or five second one to three four years that's number one two and finding our category what appointments is going transportation in the I advocated all six and I put time after entering resources in the category transportation before it's sold the bridge you're gonna have to go with all that the bridge needed we're not the one again by now we're all disapproved so much we're and only public comment is pertaining to the things that are on the agenda so if you could keep it short because many of us are focused I understand that but we do remember how the second and we two months later we built the bridges and it's prepared needs to be an hour and place right now we have three traveling going each direction what will the place get us one extra link each

I understand that, but you know, do you see your environment scattered?

I think about the second one, big buck seat.

Anyway, two months later we would build the bridges and prepare, need to be an hour and replace.

Right now we have three traveling going in each direction.

What will the place in high group get us?

One extra length.

How much quarter of a million dollars?

Well, we next environment was back in the 70s.

We created EIS divided with extra.

And we would have had PIS format.

Moral figure kind of guy, and I'll go over the million dollars.

We should both be a little bit proposed to action, we're looking at this.

No action, so let's make a word.

Not just real season rail comparatives probably iron one bristle.

What's the building of what I don't know if anyone would be happy to be sent the downtown problem?

If we if we were starting from scratch, have we got what we're not trying to crash?

I've already got two actually.

Guess what?

We got it.

That's in good shape.

And so we need EIS, the literal firmly is more information.

We have that to make let's get the deck.

That's the back of cost difference between the two scenario.

We can sit down and have a conversation, then decide how we've estimated our tax market.

Here we are on the year of thousands full of it, right?

And transformation seconds recognize the greatest amount of carbon emissions in a lot of 40%.

Thank you.

All favor uh gave.