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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California will soon ban the sale of new gasoline-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers, a move to cut emissions from a class of small engines at a rate that will produce more pollution each year than passenger vehicles.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed a new law that orders state regulators to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered equipment using small all-terrain engines, a broad category that includes generators, lawn equipment and high pressure cleaners.
The California Air Resources Board has already started work on a rule to do this, a lengthy process expected to end early next year. But the law Newsom signed on Saturday removes all doubt, ordering the agency to implement the new rule by January 1, 2024, or as soon as regulators determine it is “feasible,” whichever is later. late.
“Gov. The signing of .Newsom (this law) really sets a solid course not only for its commitment to go zero emissions, but also for cleaner air and healthier lungs, ”said Will Barrett, director of advocacy for the. clean air for the American Lung Association in California.
The law, drafted by Democratic Congressman Marc Berman, is part of an aggressive strategy to cut pollution in the country’s most populous state. California is the only state with the authority to regulate air quality this way, as part of an exception made in federal law in the 1970s. While other states cannot pass their own regulations, they can choose to follow California’s lead.
California regulators last year approved a one-of-a-kind rule to force automakers to sell more work trucks and electric delivery vans. Also last year, Newsom ordered regulators to ban the sale of all new gasoline cars and trucks in California by 2035 – a date that has since been adopted by some of the world’s largest automakers.
California has more than 16.7 million of these small engines in the state, about 3 million more than the number of passenger cars on the road. California was the first government in the world to adopt emission standards for these small engines in 1990. But since then, car emissions have improved significantly compared to smaller engines.
Today, state officials say that running a gasoline-powered leaf blower for an hour emits the same amount of pollution as driving a 2017 Toyota Camry from Los Angeles to Denver, for about 1,100 miles. (1,770 kilometers).
The law signed by Newsom also orders regulators to offer discounts to people wishing to change their equipment, a move aimed at helping landscaping companies that use these machines more often. The state budget, approved earlier this year, includes $ 30 million to fund this effort.
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