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Air district plans to crack down on eateries' charbroiling of beef
Contra Costa Times ^ | 11/27/7 | Denis Cuff

Posted on 11/27/2007 8:45:06 PM PST by SmithL

"Beef: It's what for dinner," the ads say.

Beef: It's also the target of an air pollution rule proposed to reduce charbroiler emissions from Bay Area restaurants.

The region's nine-county pollution agency said Monday it has revamped a proposed charbroiler pollution rule so emission controls would be required only at restaurants that cook large amounts of beef.

Charbroiling beef produces more fine smoke particles, a health threat to people, than grilling less fatty chicken, shrimp or vegetables, pollution managers say.

"We believe we have a very good proposal that goes after the biggest pollution source from charbroilers, beef," said Jack Broadbent, chief executive officer of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

One statewide restaurant association still opposes the rule even though the group is less upset now that the revamped proposal would exempt places that charbroil chicken and fish or only small amounts of beef.

"The new proposal is an improvement, but the bottom line is they are still proposing very expensive pollution control technology," said Johnnise Foster Downs, the California Restaurant Association's director of local government affairs.

The district air board will consider the charbroiler rule after a public hearing at 9:45 a.m. Dec. 5 at district headquarters in San Francisco.

Steakhouses and other restaurants would have to install pollution control devices by Jan. 1, 2013, if those businesses met each of two standards for under-fired charbroilers, which have a slotted grill heated from below.

The grills must be 10 square feet or larger, and the restaurants must charbroil at least 800 pounds of beef in a week, according to the new proposal.

A different standard of 400 pounds of beef per week would apply to less polluting, fast-food type charbroilers that cook foods on a conveyor belt heated from both below and above.

Gayle Uilkema, an air board member and a Contra Costa County supervisor, said the new beef-based proposal is fairer and less worrisome to mom-and-pop-type restaurants.

"I don't want to drive small restaurants out of business," she said. "I don't feel it's unfair to focus on beef because it's the biggest emitter of these particles that can affect public health."

The Bay Area fails to meet a tougher new federal health standard for fine particles on 20 to 30 nights a year, the air district said.

The California Restaurant Association, however, called the compliance cost of the rule too high -- an estimated $30,000 to $60,000 per restaurant to install equipment.

Charbroiler pollution is small compared to diesel cars, the group said.

"If it made a huge impact in pollution, I could understand, but charbroilers are not a big source," said Foster Downs.

Commercial charbroiling in the Bay Area emits about 6.9 tons a day of fine particulates and another 1.1 tons a day of smog-forming organic gases, the district estimates.

The proposed rule would produce a 90 percent reduction in fine particle emissions among the highest-polluting beef charbroiling restaurants, according to an air district report.

The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which represents 900 Bay Area restaurants, has taken a neutral stand on the rule.

"We feel they listened to our concerns and came up with a reasonable compromise," said Kevin Westlye, executive director of the association.


TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: airnazi; nannystate
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To: SmithL

They can take my #7 monster Thickburger, when they pry it...... from my cold dead hands.....


21 posted on 11/27/2007 10:02:47 PM PST by Schwaeky (The Republic--Shall be reorganized into the first American EMPIRE, for a safe and secure Society!)
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To: SmithL
"Beef: It's also the target of an air pollution rule proposed to reduce charbroiler emissions from Bay Area restaurants."

Just when you think you've seen the full depth and breadth of liberal nit-whittery, a story like this one comes along.

22 posted on 11/27/2007 10:05:55 PM PST by Desron13 (If you constantly vote between the lesser of two evils then evil is your ultimate destination.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Touch my steak and you're a dead man.

23 posted on 11/27/2007 10:15:29 PM PST by Stonewall Jackson (The Hunt for FRed November. 11/04/08)
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To: SmithL

We know this stuff because we read FR and Drudge and watch Fox news, but the average Joe 6 pack has no clue. I fear they will elect a clean slate of mental defectives and destroy America before we can get them out. We did it once before in ‘94, but where is Newt now? If I tell my neighbors this type of story, they don’t believe me and think I must hate Democrats to make this stuff up. I have to save EVERYTHING and print it and email it or they don’t believe it. There are people I know that think Republicans are trying to take their guns and keep them from hunting deer. The average voter is brain dead.


24 posted on 11/27/2007 10:26:17 PM PST by chuckles
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To: SmithL

now serving at the leakin’ back yard grill...

libs’ ribs... with an extra dose of mesquite smoke just to be sure everyone in the neighborhood smells the particulates their tofu can only dream about :)


25 posted on 11/27/2007 10:40:00 PM PST by leakinInTheBlueSea
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To: stephenjohnbanker
Sheesh........now they want our steaks too!!

Of course they do. Just think about it. Cow farts are destroying the ozone according to these wackos, so they really want to eliminate beef cattle.

It is really quite strange that these same people who won't allow drilling in the tundra because it might harm a caribou are quite ready to declare cows a major pollutant which must be destroyed.

Their agenda is quite clear to me. Anything that brings comfort or enjoyment to humans must be destroyed. Except of course marijuana and other illegal drugs are exempted.

26 posted on 11/27/2007 10:50:51 PM PST by w1andsodidwe (Jimmy Carter allowed radical Islam to get a foothold in Iran.)
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: SmithL

They can come for my guns and they will be hidden. If they come for my grill and smoker it will be war!


28 posted on 11/27/2007 10:53:39 PM PST by KoRn
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To: SmithL
Gayle Uilkema, an air board member and a Contra Costa County supervisor, ... I don't want to drive small restaurants out of business," she said. "I don't feel it's unfair to focus on beef because it's the biggest emitter of these particles that can affect public health."

These people are freaking insane.

29 posted on 11/27/2007 11:03:39 PM PST by VeniVidiVici (No buy China!!)
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To: John Williams

Yes, and part of that is deputizing the Grill Emission Regulators to guard the people’s right to breath. What is a socialist state without uniformed functionaries on every corner?


30 posted on 11/28/2007 12:00:21 AM PST by Brad from Tennessee ("A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.")
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To: SmithL
The left is very, very good at this type of incrementalism. First, they go for a small segment: only restaurants broiling 800 pounds of beef will be strongly affected -- for now.

But if they get this victory, then they will certainly try to ratchet the standards on down.

31 posted on 11/28/2007 2:48:20 AM PST by snowsislander
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To: SmithL

“The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which represents 900 Bay Area restaurants, has taken a neutral stand on the rule.”

The majortity of Californians are content in their slavery to unelected fascist bureaucratic councils. The Founding Fathers knew how to deal with unelected tyrants, but most Californians don’t have even an ounce of stuff the Founders were made of.

Michigan isn’t much better, but at least there’s enough folks with gumption who know how to throw unelected fascist dictators out of their offices.


32 posted on 11/28/2007 5:44:54 AM PST by sergeantdave (The majority of Michigan voters are that stupid and the condition is incipient and growing.)
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To: SmithL

Morons. Put ‘em on the barby.


33 posted on 11/28/2007 5:46:37 AM PST by toddlintown (Five bullets and Lennon goes down. Yet not one hit Yoko. Discuss.)
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To: SmithL

If they try to close the Fatburger places in Compton, it’s going to make the Rodney King riots look like a school dance.


34 posted on 11/28/2007 5:48:15 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: MistrX
They won’t be happy until we are eating Soylent Green.

Can't make that out of liberals, you know. It comes out bitter.

35 posted on 11/28/2007 5:48:58 AM PST by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
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To: SmithL

Dear God, how it must truly SUCK to be a liberal. They waste their whole lives trying to run other people’s lives. To quote a line in a song “you can’t even run your own life, I’ll be damned if you’ll run mine”.


36 posted on 11/28/2007 6:02:25 AM PST by timydnuc (I'll die on my feet before I'll live on my knees.)
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To: Eric Blair 2084

Nanny State alert, one for the ping list.

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.

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Why the smart money is on Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926032/posts
Posted on 11/15/2007 3:43:17 AM PST by Kevmo


37 posted on 11/28/2007 10:18:18 AM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: SmithL

What ever we like, liberals want to take away from us.


38 posted on 11/28/2007 12:21:04 PM PST by Uncle Hal
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To: SmithL

Note what happens when leftists take over. Things that were always normal, good and right become wrong and punishable, while things that were always bad are actively promoted by the leftists.


39 posted on 11/28/2007 12:35:04 PM PST by Leftism is Mentally Deranged (it's a fact.)
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To: SmithL
Steakhouses and other restaurants would have to install pollution control devices by Jan. 1, 2013, if those businesses met each of two standards for under-fired charbroilers, which have a slotted grill heated from below.

The grills must be 10 square feet or larger, and the restaurants must charbroil at least 800 pounds of beef in a week, according to the new proposal.

I predict a growing market for 9.99999 square-foot grills in the Bay Area. 

40 posted on 11/28/2007 12:41:04 PM PST by Redcloak (This post certified 100% Hillary-free. um... Never mind.)
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