EPA wants your barbecue to be green

A student-led project could lead to barbecue regulations in the future.

The Environmental Protection Agency is providing $15,000 for a University of California project where students will try to cut air pollution from grilling.

“They’re going to look at your greasy tongs to see how bad you’re fouling up the air,” Washington Examiner writer Paul Bedard told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson Show.

The goal of the study is to cut down emissions from barbecue cooking.

“You might have to get rid of that old grill,” Bedard quipped.

Two fixes were proposed. The first: cutting back on flair-ups from grease, Bedard said. To do that, the students proposed to insert a tray to collect grease.

A second plan would be to install a chimney that filters out emissions, according to Bedard. The only way to power that, however, is an electric motor or hand crank.

The study into barbecue emissions follows the EPA studying hotel water usage and the EPA’s crackdown on lawnmower emissions.

“This is just a natural next step,” Bedard said.

Barbecue emission control is just in the testing stage. Even the White House, Bedard told Dori, has a fleet of grills that don’t have any anti-pollution devices.

“We’re really not regulating our grills yet,” he said, however, added: “The administration is very keen on global warming and climate change and they’re going to do everything it takes to clean up the air and close the hole.”