Gov. Jim Edgar vetoed the leaf-burning bill (SB 240) on Dec. 23. Perhaps he hoped that the haze of the holidays would obscure his action. Possibly he thought that asthmatics and emphysema sufferers would be breathing easier now that winter is here.
Maybe he thought that the people who care about the environment and the health of its inhabitants wouldn’t notice that he ignored not only common sense, but also the letters of request from individuals and environmental groups.
This leaf-burning bill would have banned the burning of landscape waste in populated areas of the state, with exemptions for towns under 1,000, farmers, nursery owners, prairie reclamation and fire-fighter training. It is well documented that burning of leaves releases chemicals that can endanger the lives of asthmatics, those who suffer with heart conditions, emphysema and other breathing disorders. It also releases known cancer-causing agents.
One of Edgar’s reasons for vetoing was that he would rather support future legislation to authorize the Pollution Control Board to set rules governing leaf-burning. Section 10 of SB 240 would have amended current law so that the PCB could adopt regulations banning the burning of landscape waste throughout the state. In other words, the veto took away the power that Edgar said he would support in the future for the PCB.
