California bans gas-powered lawn equipment and other “small off-road engines”

[Quicksilver]

I have the Harbor Fright electric chain saw and pole saw......bought them in anticipation of winter deadfalls on the fence line but haven't had to use either.
I'll prob add a leaf blower since we have oak trees around the house and I don't rake yards.
I found this interesting. I follow this guy on YouTube and this is his video about checking out a Volvo electric mini-excavator.
I am firmly against a government mandate on electrification.....it is just political grandstanding and pandering to the rabid environmentalists.
The technology will sell itself (as Tesla cars do) and gradually people will adopt it when cost and convenience make it clear that it is the way to go.
Sooner or later people are going to get tired of being bullied by the government and we may see a new breed of anarchist appear. One that is tired of government mandates and willing to commit dark acts to protest what they see as broad government overreach.
Some people will only be pushed so far before they rebel.

 

[fritter63]

<YAWN>

My shoulder and elbow banned gas pull engines last year. Doing just fine with the electric replacements.......(weed trimmer, leaf blower, power washer).

 

[Ogre]

I am firmly against a government mandate on electrification.....it is just political grandstanding and pandering to the rabid environmentalists.

I’m firmly against rules against pooping in the pool. It’s just political grandstanding and pandering to the anti-turd-in-the-pool crowd.

Let the turd’s float they deserve to be free.

 

[ajdelange]

I am firmly against a government mandate on electrification.....it is just political grandstanding and pandering to the rabid environmentalists.

True enough but it is still doing the right thing. So even though it is for the wrong reason, why oppose it?

 

[DarinCT]

I was cleaning up the yard yesterday and apparently I put a cover over the gas can months ago. No need to know where it is when you don't need it. I suppose I can try to give it away.

My city and county are offering 1$/square foot (so $2 if they have the funds) to rip out my grass lawn and put in drip irrigation and low/no water mulch and plants. If I do that then what's the electric mower for...guess we'll have to sell that too. Gas to electric to nothing.

 

[DarinCT]

Nationally, the Department of Transportation data shows that in 2018, Americans used nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline running lawn and garden equipment. That’s equivalent to the annual energy use of more than 3 million homes.

source: WashingtonPost (paywall usually)

That's... mind-boggling to me.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I am firmly against a government mandate on electrification.....

The technology will sell itself (as Tesla cars do) and gradually people will adopt it when cost and convenience make it clear that it is the way to go.

I totally agree with this and I hate the one size fits all mentality of government mandates. If they want to do something, stick to incentives and let the market shift to electrical equipment on its own.

My current lawn equipment is a mix of gas and battery-powered equipment. I have a gas mower but would love to switch to electric whenever this one dies because our yard is small and perfect for an electric mower. My battery-powered weed eater and blower work great and I would never go back to gas. Unfortunately, I did not have good luck with a battery-powered edger and switched back to gas after a year of messing with the stupid edger running out of juice before I could finish my ~15 minutes of edging the driveway, sidewalk, walking path, and curb areas.

My small suburban yard has different equipment needs than someone who lives on an acre or two, and their needs are going to be different than people with even bigger yards, or companies who handle commercial landscaping, mowing for local municipalities, etc.

 

[Crissa]

Because it’s not objectively the right thing. Some would consider banning all abortions or guns the right thing. One day someone you disagree with may be deciding what is the right thing.

I mean, literally it is the right thing. That's why your argument isn't fact based, but a political smear.

These are basic facts. Air pollution kills people. Some potion of the population dies from the increase in polution that small-engines produce. And we can solve this.

Just like banning abortion kills more pregnant people and infants, and not restricting guns kills more people. These are just facts. They don't care about your feelings.

-Crissa