Skip to content
Independent and accessible public media is needed more than ever.
Help us continue keeping communities informed and inspired.
Keep public media independent and accessible
Donate Now

View thank you gift options

CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

California Weighs Tougher Emissions Rules For Gas-Powered Garden Equipment

By David Gorn | NPR
Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.

California is looking into ways to reduce the use of gas-powered lawn and gardening equipment because they will soon surpass cars as the biggest polluters in the state.

stoncelli / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Those gas-powered leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and mowers you hear in your neighborhood aren't just annoying — they make a lot of pollution, too.

In California, they're about to pass cars as the worst air polluters, spewing out formaldehyde, benzene and particulate matter. According to Michael Benjamin at the California Air Resources Board, in just three years' time, the biggest single ozone polluter in the state is going to be all this gardening equipment.

"We expect that ozone-contributing pollutants from small off-road engines will exceed those same emissions from cars around the 2020 time frame," Benjamin says.

It sounds hard to believe: More pollution from leaf blowers than cars. But in California and across the country, regulations on car exhaust have gotten tighter and tighter over the years, substantially reducing their ozone-damaging emissions. Not so with small gas engines, Benjamin says. And with 16 million of them cranking up across California, all that pollution adds up.

"Unless ARB adopts more stringent controls, emissions from this category are going to really become much more significant relative to cars," he says.

Some states and regional air-quality districts do have incentive programs in place to try to get homeowners to switch from gas to electric machinery.

But California — which currently goes by federal standards for its emissions regulations of small off-road gas engines — is considering requiring tougher emissions standards for small gas engines and to offer major incentives for landscaping businesses to change over to electric.

David Clegern of the California Air Resources Board says he is unaware of any other states pursuing programs other than exchanges for residential lawn and garden equipment or of other states lobbying the federal Environmental Protection Agency to adopt more stringent standards.

Making the switch

At an expansive backyard in western Los Angeles, one business is already starting to make appeals to landscapers with electric equipment. Dan Mabe runs American Green Zone Alliance, and he's trying to reach small, mostly-Latino landscape crews. Here, he has a lawn full of equipment spread out for landscaper Noe Bautista and his workers to test.

Bautista has tried to get his crew to wear face masks, but most young Latino workers won't use them — partly because, he says, there's really no way to keep out those fumes.

"You can feel the gas smell right away. You have a headache right away with all that smoke," he says.

Mabe says this is more than an air quality issue. And it even goes beyond the respiratory problems of many gardening workers.

"You can call it environmental justice. It was a demographic that wasn't really being addressed," Mabe says.

As head of this crew, Bautista, for one, is ponying up the cash now and making the switch — not only for health reasons — but since electric equipment means no more buying gas, he thinks he may even save a little money.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

View this story on npr.org
Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's what it means for California.

Governor Newsom signs bill to shield patients threatened by abortion bans in other states

Hundreds gather in Sacramento to protest Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

Cal Fire fumbles key responsibilities to prevent catastrophic wildfires despite historic budget

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.