California Legislature Passes Assembly Bill 1346 – It Will Ban the Sale of Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment

California Assembly Bill 1346 has passed the House and Senate and is headed to Governor Newsom’s desk for approval. The bill would direct the California Air Resources Board to phase out the sale of “small off-road engines” by 2024, or as soon as the board finds feasible, whichever is later. California legislature members Members Marc Berman and Lorena Gonzalez introduced the bill as part of a state effort to cut down on air pollution. One hour of gas-powered leaf blower use is equivalent in emissions to a vehicle driving 1,100 miles from Los Angeles to Denver, according to the Air Resources Board.

The bill requires the California Air Resources Board to identify and make available, where feasible, funding for commercial rebates or similar incentive funding.

State Legislatures Proposing a $30 Million Rebate Program to Support Transition

Assemblyman Marc Berman from Menlo Park, announced that the state will spend $30 million “to help gardeners transition to cleaner, greener equipment.”

Will a Supply Shortage of Lithium-ion and an Already Overloaded Electrical Grid Slow Down the Transition?

The bill was opposed by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which said in a statement that the bill would “pose numerous technology feasibility, economic, and implementation challenges for industry stakeholders. Collectively these challenges are insurmountable and will result in significant hardships for manufacturers, retailers and end-users, culminating in an early market shortfall of products with high consumer need and demand.”

The transition from gas to battery-powered landscape equipment is certainly coming to California faster than other states. However, lawmakers need to understand there is already a supply shortage of lithium-ion batteries due to excessive global demand. Will electricity suppliers have enough power for the grid when electricity demand exponentially grows?

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