Government regulations are getting worse and even worse than that.
Ozarks Electric Coop has standby generators at their main offices, as do many other coops, to keep them running 24/7. But in the future, companies using generators will face a stiff fine. The EPA has now issued a ruling that coops can’t run generators over eight hours a year due to their carbon footprint. No one that has a generator wants to run it any longer then they need to. The cost is prohibitive. But like in the case of that last big ice storm if power companies weren’t allowed to run their generators, they would have had to shut down the office the length of the outage.
That makes as much sense as not being able to use a paddle in your boat when the motor quits.
Several coops have these big units for supplemental power. I don’t know of any in Arkansas, but folks I’ve talked to in Georgia and Florida use them when they have big loads to supplement their power supply. These are under the same ruling and now they won’t be able to use them. This represents a large investment for those coops. Now the national association is busy trying to get the ruling set aside, but Congress is going on a six-week recess. It would still help if we all wrote our Congressional members and ask them to examine this ruling. There are more implications to this law than just emergency power to operate electric coop offices in tough times when outages would close them down.
If EPA can stop us from using diesel engines for outages in my opinion this could lead to regulations on the number of hours you can use farm tractors. Now wouldn’t that be a fine kettle of fish? They are starting with the least used diesel engines at isolated places but what about your farm machinery and limiting the use of it? They really want us riding bikes or walking. Or what about restrictions against mowing your lawn? They have already taken on mower and chain saw exhaust. So they are far from being done and if you let them take a step they will go the next mile.
They might also limit the hours you can run your outboard. Maybe bass fishermen should pay attention. This deal has many more implications than just using your generator when the lights go out.
This generator issue needs to be addressed and Congress must hear our side of this encroachment into our lives. It isn’t only the electric coops that will face this ruling. Your personal use of a generator comes next including those handy units folks have on their RVs, use camping and for farm chores where the lines don’t reach. I am not a doom and gloom person but this ruling looks to me like only the tale of things to come.
A few years ago the IRS told us we had to have logs in our vehicles and write down every mile we traveled and what for. Well Congress came back and they got enough mail they immediately voted that out. This is another case where we need their help.
Good bless you, your family and America, Dusty Richards
Western novelist Dusty Richards and his wife Pat live on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. For more information about his books you can email Dusty by visiting ozarksfn.com and clicking on ‘Contact Us’ or call 1-866-532-1960.
