California is set to become the first state to require landscape contractors and homeowners to use electric equipment for all lawn care activities, trimming bushes, and cutting of grass. In a move aimed at reducing air pollution and improving the health of residents, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced that all landscaping operations in the state will have to use only electric or battery-powered equipment in the upcoming years.
Officials at California Air Resources Board explained that a commercial gas lawn mower has a major contribution to pollution and hazardous smog present in the State’s environment and just one-hour of usage of a commercial gas-powered lawnmower generates the same amount of hazardous pollution as driving a gasoline-powered car 300 miles from LA to Las Vegas. The state is going to outlaw Gas-powered Lawn Mowers and Leaf Blowers with strict measures.
Zero-emission by 2024
Many laws in California aim to protect the environment. Most environmental protection laws are passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill regarding gasoline-powered machines and new small off-road engines (SOREs) which are massively used for daily lawn care and landscaping by millions of Americans to be emission-free by 2024.
This law is one of the greatest measures to cope with outsized amounts of smog-forming pollution, cancer-causing compounds, and lung-damaging particulate matter created by these non-healthy smoky gas-operated lawn mower engines.
Vendors will be prohibited from selling any gasoline products after 2024 in California
This is very good news for the environment and people’s health. There is no doubt that lawnmowers and leaf blowers are one of the biggest sources of air pollution in the State of California. However, the new regulations will prevent people from using harmful gasoline-powered machines.
Gasoline-powered engine vendors are seeing their market capital losing due to this transition from gas to electric. California is adopting this new law, AB 1346, to adopt strict regulations around these gas-powered engines and lawn care equipment by July 1, 2022, and ban their sale by the start of 2024, if CARB finds the route is clear to go. The CARB states that lawn care vendors and landscapers will have to use electric or battery-powered equipment after this decision.
Every year around 4 billion gallons of gasoline are used in bulky tanks of lawn mowers for lawn care and landscaping so it is good that the state government is enforcing rules that limit pollution and make sure that they are environmentally friendly.
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