Turning a leaf with NY's clean landscaping rebate program

Across Long Island, Westchester, and other suburban parts of our state it has become a fact of life so ubiquitous that we've almost stopped hearing it. Almost, but not quite. The constant, mind-numbing buzz of leaf blowers, weed whackers, and lawn mowers working on yard after yard in an endless rotation through the neighborhood.

Though everyone is familiar with the noise pollution, not everyone is aware of the health impacts of that noise, or the even more significant air and climate pollution caused by the humble leaf blower. Responding to the growing concerns of residents, communities across Long Island and the rest of the state have already taken action to address the issue, and many more are considering it.

Fortunately, this year the legislature voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill we carried that would allow New Yorkers to breathe a little easier and enjoy a bit more peace and quiet, by creating an Electric Landscaping Equipment Rebate Program to help landscapers and homeowners make the transition to cleaner, quieter, battery-powered equipment. But so far Governor Hochul has not signed the bill, S.7453/A.8327 – we urge her to do so before the end of the year.

Gas-powered lawn care equipment, like leaf blowers, weed whackers, and lawn mowers, have a significant negative impact on workers, communities, and the environment. Electric equipment, on the other hand, is lighter, quieter, has lower maintenance costs, a significantly smaller environmental footprint, and is better for workers’ health.

Gas-powered equipment emits large amounts of greenhouse gases and harmful, smog-forming pollution, including hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and fine particulate matter (PM). The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reported that operating a gas-powered lawn mower for one hour creates as much smog-forming pollution as driving an average car 300 miles, the distance from New York City to Portland, ME. Operating a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour creates as much smog-forming pollution as driving a car 1,100 miles, or from New York City to Tampa, FL. According to CARB, early in this decade the total smog-forming emissions from small off-road engines, the vast majority of which are residential and commercial lawn and garden equipment, will actually exceed those from passenger cars in famously car-packed Greater Los Angeles.

Noise is also a significant negative impact from gas-powered equipment. According to a 2018 report in the Journal of Environmental and Toxicological Studies, sound levels at distances of 100 to 400 feet were up to 22 decibels louder for gas-powered leaf blowers than their battery-electric equivalents (the decibel scale is logarithmic, so each increase of 10 represents a noise ten times louder). And because the gas-powered blowers have a lower frequency than their electric equivalents, their noise can be heard over longer distances and through windows and doors. The Journal’s report goes on to say that “the routine use of multiple GLBs [gas-powered leaf blowers] and other noisy equipment for hours a day exposes not only workers but large numbers of people in the community to harmful levels of noise and threatens not only worker health, but public health, particularly of children, seniors, and other vulnerable populations.”

Our bill would create a point-of-sale rebate program for landscapers and homeowners purchasing battery-powered landscaping equipment. The program, based on numerous successful programs in place in California, will incentivize individuals, commercial landscapers, and institutions to transition to electric lawn care equipment, with lasting benefits for workers, communities, and our shared environment. It will also give New York’s cities, towns, and villages, many of which are grappling with how to address the blight caused by gas-powered equipment, more flexibility in how to approach the issue, by providing support to landscapers and homeowners for the transition to electric equipment.

New Yorkers – residents and landscapers alike – need a break from the noise and air pollution caused by gas-powered lawn equipment. By signing this bill, Governor Hochul can make the transition affordable and keep New York on the right track to meet our climate goals and improve the quality of life across the state.

This guest essay reflects the views of Steve Englebright, chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, and  Liz Krueger, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.