Buying a new gasoline-powered leaf blower, lawn mower, string trimmer, chain saw or other outdoor gardening tool in California that runs on fossil fuels may soon be a thing of the past.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last week signed a first-in-the-nation law to require new small-engine equipment used in landscaping to emit zero pollution — meaning battery-operated or plug-in models only — by as early as Jan. 1, 2024.
The new law is getting a lot of attention. Here are the facts:
Q: Don’t some cities already ban gas-powered leaf blowers? They can be noisy.
A: Yes. Belvedere, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Carmel, Claremont, Indian Wells, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Malibu, Mill Valley, Mountain View, Newport Beach, Oakland, Ojai, Palo Alto, Piedmont, Santa Barbara, Solana Beach, Sunnyvale, Tiburon and West Hollywood are among the cities in California that have banned or restricted noise levels of gasoline-powered leaf blowers.
Q: So what’s this new law?
A: Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1346, written by Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto. It requires the California Air Resources Board, an agency in Sacramento that regulates air pollution, to adopt statewide rules by July 1, 2022 that “prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions” from “new small off-road engines” in a manner that is “cost-effective and technologically feasible.”
Q: What kinds of tools will that include?
A: The state air board defines “small off-road engines” as combustion engines with less than 25 gross horsepower, including those found in lawn mowers, string trimmers, chain saws, golf carts, generators and pumps.
Q: Does that mean I have to get rid of my lawn mower or weed whacker?
A: No. The law only applies to sales of new equipment. But you won’t be able to buy new gasoline-powered garden tools in California after it takes effect.
Q: When does it take effect?
A: On Jan. 1, 2024, or as soon as the air board “determines is feasible, whichever is later.” In other words, the earliest the rules would take effect is about 26 months from now.
Q: This sounds kind of like nanny state stuff. Do these things really pollute that much?
A: According to scientists at the air board, yes. The state began regulating emissions from small off-road engines in 1990. But the rules haven’t been updated in years, even as standards for cars, oil refineries and other sources of smog have tightened.
Using the best-selling gasoline-powered leaf blower for 1 hour now emits the same amount of air pollution (nitrogen oxides and reactive organic gases, which form smog) as driving a 2017 Toyota Camry 1,100 miles, according to the air board. That’s like driving from the Bay Area to Denver. Using a gasoline lawn mower for 1 hour emits the same amount of air pollution as driving a car 300 miles, or about as far as a road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Q: But are there really that many?
A: Yes. There are 16.7 million small engines in California, compared with 13.7 million passenger cars.
In fact, this year, total emissions from small engines have now surpassed the total emissions from all the passenger cars in California, at about 150 tons per day for each source, the air board reports.
Q: What about landscaping companies?
A: This law also applies to them. And many aren’t happy. The National Association of Lawn Professionals opposed the bill, saying that although there are plenty of electric garden tools for sale to homeowners in places like Home Depot, Lowe’s and other stores, there aren’t nearly as many heavy-duty commercial models available. They note that batteries need regular recharging, and the equipment often costs more than gas-powered alternatives.
“We support a responsible transition to this equipment when the equipment is ready,” said Andrew Bray, vice president of the association. “Currently, the equipment has performance issues, cost issues and infrastructure issues.”
The organization has announced it will continue to lobby the Air Resources Board to push for more flexibility as it writes the rules.
Lawmakers included $30 million in the state budget this year to provide financial incentives to commercial landscaping companies, but the industry association says that’s not enough.
Q: Who supported the law?
A: The American Lung Association, Sierra Club, Audubon California, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility and the cities of Albany, Glendale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose and South Pasadena, among others. Supporters say the rules also will reduce the risk of asthma and other health problems in landscape workers.
Q: Did it pass unanimously?
A: No, Republicans, and some Democrats were opposed. It passed by a vote of 21-9 in the state Senate and 47-22 in the state Assembly.
The air board already had begun a process to write new rules, and the law now sets a deadline. Also Newsom signed an executive order last year calling for these engines to be phased out. It was the same landmark order that prohibited the sale of gasoline-burning cars in California after 2035 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Q: What about generators? Are sales of new gas-powered generators really going to be banned?
A: They are included in the bill, but the air board has said it likely won’t pass a prohibition on new sales until 2028 because alternatives, like battery models that charge from solar panels, or fuel cell generators, are not as far along yet as electric garden tools.
Q: Can I buy gasoline-powered equipment from other states after the new rules kick in?
A: Yes. But California often passes pollution laws first, and then other states, and eventually the federal government, copy those rules. And with climate change worsening droughts, wildfires and other problems, the trend in the U.S., Europe and other areas is toward electrifying everything, and generating more power from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.
