Cremation Ban

Posted on May 31, 2007

(If you don’t read to the end - don’t blame me)

City Seeks to Ban Cremation

Boulder – The city council is set to vote next week on a ban on cremation as a means of disposing human remains. After a lively discussion the council voted 6 to 2 in favor of the ban which was brought forward as a means of reducing the environmental damage done by the increasingly popular practice.

Cremation has become more popular lately mostly because of the costs. A traditional funeral requires a durable and expensive casket, embalming and preparation of the body. It is labor intensive due to the opening and closing of the grave, requires the purchase and perpetual care of the funeral plot and requires the rental of a hearse and limousines for the family to travel with the body from the funeral home to graveside.

Councilperson Charene Moon-Skye brought forth the proposed ban on the basis that cremation releases greenhouse gasses while burial of the body is sequestration of the carbon and water that would be released in the cremation process. She further pointed out that setting aside land in perpetuity as cemeteries prevents development of the land for business growth and maintains it forever as open space.

The Teamsters Union local is commending Ms. Moon-Skye for her initiative pointing out that it stops the elimination of livery driver positions.

Concerns brought forth by the minority of the council were brushed aside but Councilman Robert Cunningham told reporters that his concerns were for the public being able to have an affordable alternative to the escalating costs of traditional funerals. He also pointed out in the meeting that greenhouse gasses would be released by the limousines and hearses as well as the grounds keeping and earth moving equipment. Further he pointed out that the manufacture of caskets also caused the release of the same greenhouse gasses as did transportation of the casket from the manufacturer to the funeral home.

Cunningham also had concerns about the cost to the city taxpayers of burials for the ever growing population of homeless people in the city driven by the councils liberal welfare policies.” As these people die at city expense, the cost of their burial and the expense of the cemetery plots is borne by the city taxpayers while cremation is less expensive on many levels”, he said.

His concerns did spark further action by Ms. Moon-Skye, she has now proposed a ban on internal combustion engined limousines and hearses as well as calling for only manual opening and closing of the funeral plots and no internal combustion powered grounds keeping equipment to be used in city cemeteries.

(Ok, so this story is all a fabrication – it has not happened- YET!

Rob Boyce – former NH State Senator)

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