According to chapter 753 of California’s assembly bill no 1346, the sale of Small off-road engines (SORE), which are used primarily in lawn and garden equipment will be banned by 2024. They will not be sold in California from 2024, but homeowners and businesses will still be allowed to use them.
These small engines are primarily used in lawn and garden equipment like lawn mowers, leaf blowers, pressure washers, and other machines.
So, if you live in California and want to buy a new gas-powered machine, do it before 2024 or buy electric. If you own a home or a business, getting ready for a future where we use more electric things is important. Keeping your family and workers safe and happy is important. This helps your family and business do well.
Apart from California, Vermont and Washington D.C. have also enacted bans or limited the sale of small engines.
Reasons California is Banning Small Gas-Powered Engines
According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), people can’t sell or buy gas lawnmowers because they cause much pollution. Using one lawnmower is like driving a car very far, from one big city to another! Leaf blowers are just as bad. They make as much pollution as driving a car even further, from Los Angeles to Denver!
Lawnmowers and leaf blowers are part of a group called Small Off-road Engines. In 2017, there were more of these in California than cars. According to different estimates, California, in 2017, had 16.5 million SOREs compared to 13.7 million light-duty vehicles. These machines can make people sick because they let out bad stuff like gases and tiny particles. This is not good for the people using them, people living nearby, and nature.
So, California wants to stop these machines from hurting our health and the environment.
What Does the Ban Mean for Californians?
This ban means that we can only use electric machines like lawnmowers and leaf blowers. There are both good and bad sides to this change.
On the positive side, electric machines are better for the environment. They don’t let out bad gases that can make the air dirty and people sick. This means we will have cleaner air and less pollution hurting nature. Also, electric machines are usually quieter, so there will be less noise when people work in their yards or clean the streets.
However, there are also some challenges with using only electric machines. One of the main issues is that electricity can be expensive. If we use more electric machines, the electric bill might go up, which could be hard for some families and businesses, especially if they don’t have a lot of money. Also, some people might need to buy new electric machines to replace their old gas ones, which could also cost a lot.
Another thing to consider is that electric machines might not be as powerful as gas ones. This could make some jobs take longer or be harder to do. For example, an electric lawnmower might not cut grass as quickly as a gas one.