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Michigan Passes Law Preserving Barbecues . . . People Go On Living Stuart Lieberman, Esq., Imagine this ... its a Sunday. Your family is visiting, and you light up the grill. Chicken is cooking, mesquite is in the air, when your family entertainment is abruptly interrupted with a visit from the Environmental Protection Agency. "Freeze, you are under arrest! Charged with barbecue-related environmental crimes."
The EPA has responded that neither Michigan, nor the rest of the world, need fear. No such attack on barbecuing is actually contemplated, at least at this time. Stringent air pollution proposals are actually undergoing final review in Washington. While they require further reductions in the amount of ozone-causing chemicals in the air, and will regulate microscopic soot, much of which comes from burning, barbecues have apparently been spared. Recently, these new air pollution proposals have received intense media coverage. There have been allegations that the EPA overstated health risks associated with certain air pollutants. As a result, many have questioned the motivation, and even credibility, of some of the government supporters of the proposed air controls. EPA has advised that lawn mowers, edgers, and gas powered leaf blowers, may be subject to pollution regulations. In fact, this has already led to a re-birth of the old fashioned, push mowers.
Hopefully, California will not be a trend setter in this area. Several years ago, that State imposed new standards on charcoal-lighting products to reduce smog-causing volatile organic compounds. But Sunday grillers in the remaining 49 States, as well as Washington DC, may continue to grill with impunity. After all, while regulators are willing to restrict use of air conditioners and lawn trimmers, no one has the nerve to regulate backyard hibachis. Barbecues might very well represent the last bastion of personal freedom remaining in America. Don't get burned.
The information provided in this column is written by Stuart Lieberman,a practicing environmental attorney, and is for general information purposes only. It is not legal advice and should not be used in place of legal advice.
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Does this sound silly? If so, then call everyone who lives in Michigan silly. Last month, the Michigan State Legislature approved a resolution directing that the federal government "not restrict the use of barbecue grills." The legislators were concerned over widely disseminated rumors that federal officials are proposing restrictions on the use of charcoal and gas grills.