Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment Could Be Banned in Metro Denver and Colorado’s Northern Front Range by 2025
Gas-powered lawnmowers, chainsaws, leaf blowers, and other lawn and garden equipment may soon be a thing of the past in metro Denver and Colorado’s northern Front Range. The Regional Air Quality Council is recommending a ban on the sale of these gas-powered tools starting in 2025. The goal is to improve air quality in the area, which has been severely impacted by ozone pollution.
If approved, the regulation would also require local governments to stop using small, gas-powered equipment during the summer by 2025. Additionally, commercial operators would be banned from using these tools during the summer months by 2026. However, the ban would not be statewide and would only apply to the nine Front Range counties that are in violation of federal clean air standards for ozone pollution.
Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment is a major source of air pollution, releasing nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and greenhouse gas emissions. On hot summer days, these pollutants combine to create smog, which not only harms people’s health but also obscures mountain views.
The proposed ban could have a significant impact on reducing pollution. It is estimated that it could eliminate up to 18 tons of volatile organic compounds, four tons of nitrogen oxide, and 4,500 tons of greenhouse gases per day. The ban would encourage the transition to electric equipment, which is not much more expensive than gas-powered tools and offers grants and incentives for local governments and businesses.
However, there are concerns about the availability and durability of electric equipment for commercial use. Some argue that electric chainsaws, in particular, may not be able to handle the work that professional lawn services and local governments need to do. Nonetheless, research conducted by the Regional Air Quality Council shows that electric chainsaws are capable of performing the required tasks.
The proposed regulation has been recommended by the Regional Air Quality Council and will now go to Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission for approval. There may be some changes made to the proposal before it becomes official state policy. Nonetheless, board members of the council emphasize the importance of these new rules in improving air quality and reaching clean air goals mandated by the federal government.
If enacted, this ban on the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment could have a significant impact on reducing pollution in metro Denver and Colorado’s northern Front Range, contributing to cleaner air and better health for residents.