Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. And the NEW and IMPROVED lawn mowers will be taxed. No wait, it's not a 'tax,' it's a fee. That makes it all better!! (not)

https://youtu.be/3g-9DWKtlyU

Mallory Moench Jan. 6, 2020

The next frontier in California’s battle against pollution: lawn equipment.

State air regulators are laying long-term plans to phase out gasoline-powered devices like leaf blowers and lawn mowers, saying they can produce more noxious emissions than cars.

Plenty of Bay Area cities are already acting: At least eight have banned gas-powered blowers, and more restrict their use during times of day or up to a certain noise level. Novato may soon join the list.

“What I think we need to realize is that we have to do something different for climate change in the world,” said Novato Mayor Pro Tem Pat Eklund, who proposed a ban on gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers in December. “If not, we are going to see a different world than we do today. Every little bit is going to help.”

Such restrictions force people to use cleaner, quieter electric machinery instead. But they are not universally popular.

Jose Vaca, who owns Vaca Construction and Landscaping, which has locations in Novato and Petaluma, said he would have to buy up to five batteries — costing an average of $100 to $200 each — to finish jobs on large properties like homeowner associations or shopping centers. Electric leaf blowers would make tasks longer and more expensive, he said.

Vaca said he has already ended contracts in Mill Valley because of the city’s ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. If Novato implements a similar restriction, he’ll do the same.

“We would just start canceling more contracts and moving up north,” he said.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/California-s-latest-pollution-push-Banning-14951305.php#