Washington Democrats propose ban on gas-powered landscaping equipment: 'Not going to work'

OLYMPIA, Wash. (TND) — Democratic lawmakers in Washington state are floating a ban on new gas-powered landscaping equipment.

A bill prohibiting “super-polluting” outdoor machinery by 2026 currently sits in the House Environment and Energy Committee.

The legislature finds that gasoline-powered and diesel-powered landscaping and other outdoor power equipment emit a host of air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon dioxide and other pollutants, contributing to climate change and negatively impacting public health,” HB 1868 reads.

The act states “going electric” generates health benefits for those hearing, handling and inhaling gas engines for “hours on end.” It also says noise the equipment emits can be a “nuisance.”

“Residents value the quiet of electric equipment, especially with the increasing numbers of people working from home,” HB 1868 argues.

Among the 13 Democratic lawmakers supporting the bill are Rep. Gerry Pollet, Rep. Nicole Macri, Rep. Amy Walen and Rep. Alex Ramel.

The bill claims consumers are ready for the transition to “cleaner” all-electric machinery since it is just as powerful as and more efficient than gas-powered equipment. Battery-powered lawn equipment’s market share is growing three times faster than gas-fueled machinery’s, according to the act.

It is estimated that the volume of electric-powered lawn equipment that North American manufacturers shipped jumped from about 9,000,000 units in 2015 to over 16,000,000 in 2020, an increase of more than 75 percent in only five years,” HB 1868 notes. “During that time, electric equipment went from roughly 32% to 44% of the overall lawn equipment market.”

Landscaping machinery’s environmental impacts are also significant, according to the bill. The Environmental Protection Agency found gas-powered lawn mowers contribute 5% of the country’s air pollution, and estimates indicate consumers spill more than 17,000,000 gallons of fuel each year while refueling landscaping equipment.

“The legislature further finds that the small gas engines used in lawn and garden equipment are not only bad for the environment and contributing to climate change, but they can also cause asthma, hearing loss and other health issues, especially for workers who regularly use them,” the act says.

Lawmakers would establish temporary sales and use tax relief and a temporary grant program to accelerate the transition to electric-powered machinery.

However, workers have questioned the bill’s practicality.

“Electric chainsaws are not going to work for our industry,” Washington Contract Loggers Association executive director Jerry Bonagofsky told the Capital Press. “What you see out there may work for homeowners, possibly some light landscaping, but for commercial operations, it’s not going to be efficient enough or productive enough.”

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