New Jersey Is Considering A Ban On Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

NEW JERSEY, NJ — Gas leaf blowers are loathed for their ear-splitting noise and noxious fumes. And now New Jersey lawmakers are considering a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers through two bills recently introduced in the state Legislature.

Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Chair of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, has introduced a new measure, S4273, that would prohibit the sale of gas leaf blowers within a year of the bill becoming a law, and ban their use entirely after four years.

Anyone who violates the provisions will be subject to a penalty of up to $1,000 for each offense.

The bill says that gas leaf blowers “emit high rates of pollutants,” including carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons, unburnt gasoline, and “fine particulate matter.” The amount of carbon monoxide emitted from a typical backpack gas-powered leaf blower for one hour is equal to the amount of carbon monoxide emitted from the tailpipe of a car for over eight hours, according to the bill.

There are other alternatives to gas leaf blowers including electric leaf blowers, “which are quieter and safer to operate and less harmful to the environment.”

The second piece of legislation is bill A6238, proposed by Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, D-Bergen. According to the bill, the Board of Public Utilities will be required to develop a rebate program for the purchase of electric or battery-operated leaf blowers.

These proposals come after many New Jersey towns like Princeton and Montclair have curtailed their use.

In October, Princeton Council unanimously passed the sustainable landscape ordinance, limiting the use of gas leaf blowers and other noise-generating landscaping equipment.

Princeton hopes to ultimately phase out the use of gas-powered landscaping equipment. The ordinance permits the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and other equipment from March 15 to May 15 and Oct. 1 to Dec. 15 annually, except Sundays and holidays. There are also time limits and fines imposed on violators. Read More: Princeton Passes Ordinance Restricting Use of Gas Leaf Blowers

In February, Montclair passed an ordinance that drastically cut back on the number of days that internal combustion blowers can be used - from 168 to 93. Montclair first placed restrictions on their use in 1994. Read More Here: Montclair's New Leaf Blower Law Takes Effect

When Maplewood prohibited the commercial use of gas-powered leaf blowers, they were sued by the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) and nine individual landscape companies. They were miffed at the town's controversial ban, which they said weighs heavy on local landscaping businesses. Read More: NJ Landscapers Sue Maplewood Over Leaf Blower Ban

What do you think of the proposed ban? Let us know in the comments.