The city of Portland, Oregon, is considering a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers starting in 2026, citing health and climate concerns, air and noise pollution, as well as a disproportionate impact they have on minority and low-income communities.
The proposed ordinance out of Portland's City Council would phase out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers starting in 2026 for all private and commercial use. If approved, Portland would join the ranks of 100 other cities in the U.S. that have limited or banned the use of gasoline leaf blowers.
"The use of gasoline leaf blowers can cause direct harm to people within the vicinity by contributing to localized air pollution, creating excessive noise, and causing other negative health impacts to their operators who disproportionately identify as Latinx or Hispanic," the ordinance states.
Gas-powered blowers would still be permitted through 2028 from October 1 to December 31, because the city recognizes "electric leaf blowers are not yet powerful enough to practically move wet leaves during the winter season." Effective January 1, 2028, gasoline leaf blowers would be prohibited all year.
The city's Leaf Blower Policy Work Group recommended the ban because of the health impacts resulting from dangerous emissions, which "fall disproportionately on hired landscape maintenance workers from communities of color, low-income communities, and other historically marginalized populations."
The city also noted that gasoline leaf blowers commonly have "two-stroke engines that incompletely combust their fuel" which results in the emission of benzene and additional carcinogenic substances.
"In 2017, the city council established a goal of meeting 100 percent of community-wide energy needs using renewable energy by 2050 to help reduce the public health impacts of climate change, which disproportionately affect vulnerable communities already facing existing socioeconomic and health inequities," the ordinance explained.
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The first violation would be a warning, but for repeated violations, citizens could receive penalties of up to $1,000, according to KGW8.
Nearly 90% of people are in support of the ban, while most of the opposition has been over potential cost increases and the short time frame to transition to electric equipment, KGW8 reported. Eligible businesses would be able to receive a rebate through Multnomah County, which would enforce the ban, to replace gasoline equipment with electric blowers.
"The phase out of gasoline powered leaf blowers will hopefully mark the beginning of a new chapter in our work on climate," Multnomah County’s Sustainability Director John Wasiutynski told KGW8.
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Local landscaper Malik Hopkins, who owns and operates his own business, said he isn't opposed to making changes to help curb climate concerns, but explained he still relies on gas-powered blowers, the local outlet reported. He called the move a "pro-con" thing, because electric batteries don't last as long as a tank of gas and that the electric blowers are not as powerful as gas-powered.
"It’s going to affect a lot of people, especially people who cannot afford it (like) guys that are starting out," he said. "Those batteries will go for about two or 300 bucks."
