California will ban “small off-road engines” (SORE) primarily used in gas-powered lawn equipment, such as leaf blowers and lawnmowers, in a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom this weekend.
The bill, AB 1346, directs California’s Air Resources Board to draw up regulations that will go into place by 2024. It bans the sale of new SOREs, but does not seem to ban their operation.
They produce a lot of emissions due to shear numbers and total lack of emissions controls (catalytic converters).
Yup, a gas powered leaf mower produces more pollutants in one hour than the average car does when traveling 1,100 miles!