California Law Banning Lawn Mowers

How dirty is the best-selling gas leaf blower? CARB says that when you use it for an hour, it emits as much smog-forming pollution as a 2016 Toyota Camry drives 1100 miles. That explains why California has enacted a new ban on highly polluting small engines, which will be in place starting in 2024 for quieter, cleaner lawn work throughout the state. The new law targets small off-road engines (which the bill poetically calls LESR) found in residential and commercial lawn and garden equipment, state-regulated construction and agricultural equipment, and other machinery such as generators. According to the council, running a typical gasoline-powered professional lawn mower for an hour is associated with as much pollution as driving a car from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Using a backpack leaf blower for an hour triggers pollution comparable to driving the same car from Los Angeles to Denver. Consumer Reports evaluated gas and power tools such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers and string cutters side by side. The nonprofit consumer organization found that battery-powered tools with low maintenance and ease of use were good candidates for homeowners of less than an acre of land who could wait to recharge their batteries. But when it came to larger plots, sturdier weeds, or long hours of use, gas tools stood out. In recent years, at the height of wildfire season, California has experienced widespread power outages as strong winds sweep across the state, largely because utilities are trying to prevent a fallen power line from starting a fire. That`s why Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) said a ban on gasoline generators doesn`t make sense.

The California Air Resources Board has been pushing for the change, noting that residential and lawn gardening equipment accounts for more than 12.6 million of the state`s small off-road engines of 19 kilowatts or less. Emissions from these engines are significant — the board says an hour of lawnmower use is equivalent to driving 300 miles from La to Las Vegas, while using a leaf blower is even worse — an hour equals 1,100 miles of LA emissions in Denver. California will officially switch to electric lawn mowers in 2022 after banning the type of gas to reduce emissions. The change won`t happen immediately, but starting in 2024, only electric mowers will be available for purchase in California, making it the first state in the country to ban such sales in the fight against climate change. The new law mentions not only exhaust emissions, but also those from fuel tanks, where evaporation of gasoline can release large amounts of benzene and other dangerous compounds. Together, evaporative emissions account for about 35% of the load of small engines. Because many lawn mowers and other equipment are stored in garages, evaporated pollutants can enter homes. California is the first state to ban all gasoline-powered lawn equipment and requires new lawn mowers and leaf blowers equipped with small off-road engines to be emission-free by 2024. The bill comes with $30 million to support the transition.

Landscaping companies have strongly opposed the new restrictions, saying zero-emission commercial equipment is prohibitive and less efficient than gasoline-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other existing small machines used in the industry. According to an industry representative, a three-person landscaping team would have to carry 30 to 40 fully charged batteries to power their equipment for an entire working day. California has a surplus of lawn equipment and gasoline generators, totaling more than 16.7 million throughout the state, and lawn mowers and leaf blowers are outstanding polluters, according to Ars Technica. Andrew Bray, NALP`s vice president of government relations, and Giarde say it is far from enough. California has about 12,000 licensed lawn care companies and up to three times as many unauthorized businesses. Every company has multiple gas-powered tools, so $30 million won`t go very far, Girade says. Carb says using the “best-selling commercial lawn mower” for an hour emits as much smog-forming pollution as if you were driving a 300-mile 2016 Toyota Camry. Leaf blowers can be even worse because the “best-selling commercial leaf blower” emits the same amount of smog-forming pollution that the same camera would cause over 1100 miles. Wounds emit large amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), reactive organic gases (ROG) and particulate matter (PM), say supporters of the law, all of which have a negative impact on human health.