July 2, 2018 Testimony of David Cottingham, Audubon Society

From the D.C. Council Committee of the Whole Hearing on July 2, 2018. testimony from David Cottingham:

Mendelson: Mr. Cottingham?

Cottingham: Also, I'm here to testify on behalf of the Audubon Naturalist [Society]and its roughly 10,000 members throughout the Metropolitan DC area. And we wholeheartedly endorse this bill because we think not only is this bill good for the individuals and the people, but also for the wildlife. 

So before I continue with my testimony, I'm going to play you something. [Sound recording of birds] That's the song of a wood thrush. And you can hear that wood thrush in Rock Creek Park, as I did last night as I was walking down. Of course, the wood thrush is the state bird, or the official bird, not really a state bird, I guess. Maybe one of these days. But it's the official bird of the District of Columbia. You can't hear it very many places because wood thrush, like many other species of wildlife, are really adversely affected by loud noises. They will avoid areas where there are roads. They will avoid areas where there are loud noises like leaf blowers. In my written testimony I provide some references and technical references on this. But birds rely on sound to, of course, to find mates, to find prey, to avoid predators. 

There are many other species of wildlife that do the same with noise. There are studies that show that birds and frogs, and even antelope are -- we don't have any antelope here -- but the other species of wildlife will move to avoid loud noises. So we think that if we're driving out birds, and we're driving out other species of wildlife, that we are also suffering with that. So, I think that the Audubon Naturalist Society appreciates the opportunity to testify today, and we would just urge you to pass this. We would be happy to answer any questions. Thank you.

July 2, 2018 Testimony of Haskell "Hal" Small

From the D.C. Council Committee of the Whole Hearing on July 2, 2018. testimony from D.C. resident and musician Haskell "Hal" Small:

Mendelson: Mr. Small?

Small: Good afternoon. Thank you, Chairman Mendelson and Councilmembers, for the opportunity today to speak in support of this bill. My name is Haskell Small. I am a fourth-generation Washingtonian, and I reside at 3220 44th Street, Northwest in Washington, DC. 

As a composer and pianist who works at home, I find the horrendous noise of gas-powered leaf blowers to be not only an intrusion to my right to peace and quiet, but also an invasion of my space, making it sometimes impossible to work. And in attempting to calm my nerves with a pleasant walk, I am often bracketed by the pervasive, wailing scream of these blowers operated by sometimes squadrons of lawn maintenance workers. 

There are, of course, many other hazards produced by gas-powered blowers, but the noise alone is reason enough to ban these machines. Besides being an intolerable disturbance to the peace, this noise is an assault on our ears, causing irreversible hearing loss, and an assault on our nervous systems, causing stress, sleeplessness, and hypertension. Not only for residents, but especially for the workers who typically operate these machines eight hours a day. 

There is another, underappreciated hazard to workers using gas blowers. While pursuing their ludicrous practice of blowing leaves and debris into the street, they are risking their lives. I recently observed a worker outside my house who danced in front of an approaching SUV, oblivious to the oncoming traffic because of the blaring sound of his gas blower. I Googled a little and came up with a dozen incidents resulting in injuries and deaths to workers in this situation. Note that this is not an issue with battery-pack blowers, as their higher-pitched, less growly sound doesn't mask the sound of approaching traffic. 

These outrageously loud machines have no place in a civilized community. By passage of this bill encouraging the replacement of gas blowers with battery-powered blowers, you will be offering a gift to everyone. Homeowners will have the right to pristinely manicured lawns. Their neighbors' rights for peace and quiet will be respected. Maintenance companies will have an effective tool that they can employ profitably and responsibly. And their workers will have the right to live productive, healthy lives. Thank you, Chairman Mendelson. I'll take your questions, please.