There they go again. The Democrats in California are going nuts in an effort to chase every business out of state or out of business they can. Their latest legislation bans gas-powered lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, and leaf blowers.
This means that in 2024, the landscapers will have to buy all new equipment that runs on batteries or plug into an electrical outlet. Considering that Russia, India, and China can continue to pollute all they want, I don’t see how it will affect the overall environment.
The new law requires small-motor landscaping equipment to be zero-emission. I don’t see how that is possible generating electricity generates emissions. New portable gas-powered generators are required to be zero-emission by 2028. This will affect most riding mowers used by landscapers since they generate 26 horsepower.
Some vehicles are exempted from the new law, including on-road motor vehicles, off-road motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, model airplanes, or cars. Now would be a good time to invest in companies making heavy-duty extension cords.
Imagine mowing some of those huge lawns in people’s estates. How long would your extension cords have to be?
Gas-powered equipment purchased before the ban goes into effect can still be used.
Marc Berman (D) tweeted:
“Thank you @GavinNewsom for signing my bill to ban the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers & other small engine equipment beginning in 2024! This equipment is dangerous to the workers who use it, disruptive to communities, & terribly damaging to our climate.”
Andrew Bray, vice president of government relations for the National Assn. of Landscape Professionals, said the zero-emission commercial-grade equipment landscapers use is also prohibitively expensive and less efficient than the existing gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and other small machinery. For example, a gas-powered commercial riding lawn mower costs $7,000 to $11,000, but its zero-emission equivalent costs more than twice that amount, he said.
Another major expense will be batteries. Bray said a three-person landscaping crew will need to carry 30 to 40 fully charged batteries to power its equipment during a full day’s work.
“These companies are going to have to completely retrofit their entire workshops to be able to handle this massive change in voltage so they’re going to be charged every day,” Bray said.
