Former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
Bill Banning Sale of New Small Gas-Powered Engine Machines Introduced in Assembly
Lawnmowers, leaf blowers would be phased out as early as 2024 under AB 1346
By Evan Symon, March 31, 2021 2:24 am
A new bill that would phase out the sale of new gas-powered small off-road engines (SORE) by 2024 was introduced in the Assembly Monday.
Assembly Bill 1346, authored by Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), would require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt cost-effective and technologically feasible regulations to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new small off-road engines. Specifically, the sale of new gas-powered small off-road engines, commonly found in gardening and outdoors equipment such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, and other similar equipment would be transitioned over to only zero-emission motor equipment.
While gas-powered equipment would not be made illegal, the sale of new gas powered SORE would be phased out until 2024, or by a date that CARB finds acceptable. CARB would also have to make funding available for commercial rebates to support the transition to zero-emission SORE.
Berman and Gonzalez wrote AB 1346 for several reasons. The chief reason is reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), reactive organic gas (ROG), and other common emissions, with the bill equating one hour of using a commercial leaf blower emitting the same amount of emissions as driving 1,100 miles in a new car. The bill also notes that SORE emission standards have not been strictly regulated, and that the implementation of the bill would help meet the zero-emission goals of Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order last year from ending the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in California by 2035.
Cases for, against AB 1346
Both lawmakers noted the associated health risks to gas-powered motor caused emissions and pollutants in their bill announcement on Monday.
“Today, operating the best-selling gas-powered commercial leaf blower for one hour emits air pollutants comparable to driving a 2017 Toyota Camry from Los Angeles to Denver,” said Assemblyman Berman. “Smog-forming emissions from small engines will surpass those from passenger vehicles this year. We must look beyond transportation if we are to achieve the emissions reductions needed to fight climate change and improve air quality and health in our communities.”
Assemblywoman Gonzalez also touted AB 1346.
“It’s time to phase out these super polluters,” Gonzalez said. “They’re not only bad for our environment, but can cause serious health issues for workers who utilize them every day. We can and must help small landscaping businesses replace their gas-powered equipment with cleaner alternatives.”
While no formal opposition has been brought against AB 1346 yet, many organizations are preparing to fight the bill, noting the unfairness to consumers that this would brig, as well as the many loopholes around it.
“This bill is a non-starter to begin with,” said Jose Diaz, a landscaping coordinator in Los Angeles who has given testimony against similar proposed local gas-powered SORE limitation laws, to the Globe.
“The argument always comes down to something like ‘you can buy a gas-powered version in Mexico or Arizona or some place out of state and it’s not illegal to bring it in.’ If you can do that, or with the way we’re moving to online shopping, just order a gas-powered lawnmower from out of state without consequence, what is the point of this?”
“A lot of landscapers hate the electric versions of some of these things. While leaf blowers work just fine, a lot of equipment still needs the gas version for powerful more use. Most I have talked to treat it like the electric car. It won’t be accepted if it takes longer to charge a battery than gas up or doesn’t get as much mileage.”
“The sentiment is nice, but until you can make the two comparable, you need to give us options. A lot of people are going to fight them on this, especially since the Governor’s car thing is 2035 and this [bill] is saying 2024 as the end date.”
AB 1346 is expected to be brought to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee in the coming weeks.
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California is such a POS Nanny State. I am so glad I moved to Texas. Good job forcing all those small lawn maintenance businesses to have to ditch all their hardware and buy Electric, which will reduce their ability to go from job to job without stopping to recharge the machines or swap batteries and cost them tens of thousands of dollars. MORONS.
Ahhhh, Lorena….she does her best to destroy the state while her Newsom-wanna-be husband Nathan, does his best to destroy San Diego County.
California’s “power” couple!
Are these people nuts or what? You’re elected to be in these positions and then you try to destroy everything the general public likes to do. You’re crazy ideas are not what we want and what is pushing so many people out of this state. The state used to be awesome and good if we get all these crazy ideas out and go back to normal. But so many people would have to be removed out of office to go back to normal unfortunately people. You all are just going to keep destroying it and making it worse and pushing more people out. And that’s the people that actually want to be here are the ones that you’re pushing out of here. I hope you all of your jobs in office are lost. I hope the general public as well opens your eyes to all your crazy ideas.
No kidding.
Lorena Gonzalez and Marc Berman should shove this law, the “green agenda”, “man made climate change” (or whatever they are calling it this week), and the rest of the “climate do-gooders” where the sun does not shine (the same orifice where a solar panel would not fit).
Just business as usual for these stupid communists! No clue how Americans want to live, all they know is “ban, ban, ban” and “control, control, control”! Shove this bill and go back to the holes you crawled out from! Leave us alone and STHU already!
More ridiculousness from Lorena “AB5 The Job Killer” Gonzalez. She doesn’t care about this stuff anyway. Apparently she only wants to unionize everything that moves. She is an airhead with dictatorial ambitions. Embarrassing.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Looks like I may have to do the same as I did with my firearms and ammo purchases…..I have them sent to my LLC address (and local FFL) in Arizona. Pick it up on my bi-weekly trip.
Follow the money and I’ll bet you will find why this bill was introduced.
Unless these two supergeniuses are going to come do my fire clearance on my property with an electric line trimmer that runs for 25 minutes, then charges for 40, and lacks the power of a gas trimmer and trim the trees and fallen branches after a Mono Wind event with a hand saw, they can kiss right off. Idiots.
“We can and must help small landscaping businesses replace their gas-powered equipment with cleaner alternatives.”
Si, se puede, right Lorena?? Because you’re so much smarter than the rest of us, right???
This should help coalesce the landscaping industry against these two job-killers….
Well these dumb asses are pushing us towards agenda 2030. Can’t see what else they ban. Maybe us for the carbon dioxide we breath out. The dumb people of California voted these garbage people in so they deserve it.
Keep being stupid California legislators…. more people and businesses will leave.
Really shallow thinking. To charge all those batteries we demand even more emissions. Great! And then where are those batteries going to end up? Not to say productivity will collapse abs landscaping with be a privilege of the rich.
I sent a message to the governor’s office as to why we could not just require these engines to be fuel injected and have an oxygen sensor so a small engine control module can keep it “tuned” in real time saving gas and reducing emissions, everyone wins. Similar to what cars have today.