Austin, TX, “Bans” BBQ Restaurants

OK, not really “bans”. But the blogger linked below suggests that new rules passed by city council in Austin, Texas, are so restrictive and expensive that they constitute what is “effectively a ban.” In fact, this is a great little case-study: pretty much all businesses produce some pollution, whether it be chemicals or noise or smells. Banning all pollution is impractical. But so is allowing companies to spew whatever they want. Just how bad the pollution has to be is an interesting and hard problem — especially given that reasonable people may disagree over what constitutes an intolerable imposition on neighbours. >>>

LINK: AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO BAN BBQ RESTAURANTS (from the I Am A Texan blog)

…Austin City Council members passed a preliminary plan in April to put restrictions on smoke from barbeque restaurants. Some Austin residents complain of the barbecue smoke saying they can’t enjoy their homes they purchased before some of these restaurants moved in.

The city council’s current proposal will require smoke diffusers and will also limit the amount of time that restaurants can smoke. These restrictions will require at least $100,000 in extra investments for most barbecue restaurants as they will be forced to buy extra smokers along with severely expensive diffusers, and in some cases will have to lease or purchase more property…..

What do you think?

Brought to you by: