California may soon ban the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers under a bill the Legislature passed and sent to Gov. Newsom.
Assembly Bill 1346 would direct the California Air Resources Board to phase out the sale of “small off-road engines” by 2024, or as soon as the board finds feasible, whichever is later.
The bill’s author, Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, tweeted that the state will spend $30 million “to help gardeners transition to cleaner, greener equipment.”
Berman’s bill comes as part of a state effort to cut down on air pollution. One hour of gas-powered leaf blower use is equivalent in emissions to a vehicle driving 1,100 miles from Los Angeles to Denver, according to the Air Resources Board.
The bill was opposed by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which said in a statement that the bill would “pose numerous technology feasibility, economic, and implementation challenges for industry stakeholders. Collectively, these challenges are insurmountable and will result in significant hardships for manufacturers, retailers and end-users, culminating in an early market shortfall of products with high consumer need and demand.” PSR
Michael Aistrup is a Senior Analyst at Power Systems Research
