A bill in the Connecticut General Assembly would ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in the state starting in 2029.
Co-sponsored by 10 Democratic state lawmakers, House Bill 6263 would first direct state and municipal agencies to begin phasing out the use of gas-powered blowers beginning in 2027. Beginning in 2029, the use and sale of such blowers would be outlawed statewide.
Members of the public testified before the General Assembly’s Environment Committee on Monday. Supporters of the bill pointed to the blowers’ contributions to air and noise pollution.
“They are much more than just a nuisance – they are actually a very meaningful public health threat,” said Allen Hershkowitz, an environmental scientist from Ridgefield.
Hershkowitz said the blowers emit fine particulate matter “which is respirable, which goes into the lungs, goes into the bloodstream,” as well as conventional air pollutants like ozone.
Elizabeth Dempsey, co-chair of Quiet Yards Greenwich, an anti-gas leaf blower organization, testified that the pollution from the machines can travel great distances.
“If you have a gas blower going in your yard or not, you don’t have a choice about breathing these emissions and listening to the ear-shattering noise,” Dempsey said.
Svetlana Wasserman, also of Quiet Yards Greenwich, said the blowers are uniquely noxious.
“The gas leaf blower has been called the dirtiest engine still in legal use,” Wasserman said. “According to the EPA, cars and trucks have reduced their emissions by close to 95% thanks to clean air rules. But gas leaf blowers don’t have to follow the Clean Air Act.”
She cited a study by Edmunds Auto Group that found a half-hour use of a gas leaf blower releases as many pollutants as driving a Ford pickup for 3,000 miles.
The bill drew opposing testimony from members of the landscaping industry. Terence Stovall with the National Association of Landscape Professionals said the bill would disadvantage commercial lawn care operations given that electric alternatives are more expensive and not as powerful as their gas-powered counterparts.
“Under House Bill 6263, the industry would have to depend on more costly and less efficient equipment to accomplish the same tasks within the same timeframe, which ultimately impacts competitiveness and profitability,” Stovall said.
Stovall floated the idea of a rebate or tax incentive program to offset costs to commercial landscaping operators in making the transition.
“While we support a responsible and measured transition to battery-powered equipment, there are too many details and hurdles that must be addressed before any statewide ban or restriction should be enacted,” Stovall said.
Others testifying on both sides of the issue said they supported such an idea.
“In the big picture, our children, our grandchildren, our seniors, our neighbors, are all going to benefit by this transition,” said Hershkowitz, the Ridgefield environmental scientist. “If you need financial support to make that transition from your personal leaf blower to an electric one, I am 100% supportive that you get a tax deduction or some kind of incentive to do that.”
“Because remember, we all share the atmosphere,” Hershkowitz said.
