Blue state Dems introduce law that could jail people for using gas powered lawnmowers

Two Democratic Washington state representatives pre-filed a bill on Dec. 5 that would make operating a gas-powered lawnmower or leaf blower a gross misdemeanor punishable by jail time, a fine, or both.

State Reps. Amy Walen and Liz Berry authored a bill to be considered in their state’s upcoming legislative session that would ban “gasoline-powered and diesel-powered landscaping and other outdoor power equipment,” a group that includes common lawn care tools like lawnmowers, weed whackers, pressure washers, and snow blowers, among others. Violating the new law would be punishable “by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for up to three hundred sixty-four days, or by both for each separate violation.”

The authors of the bill justified their proposed ban by arguing that outdoor power equipment is “contributing to climate change and negatively impacting public health.

“One hour of running a gas lawnmower can contribute as much smog-forming pollution as driving a passenger car 300 miles,” according to the bill.

The bill would grant the Washington Department of Ecology the authority to “adopt rules to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new outdoor power equipment.” The ban would apply to equipment produced “on or after January 1, 2026” or the soonest point determined to be reasonable by the department, whichever is later.

Under the bill, the state would require businesses to replace their gas or diesel-powered outdoor equipment with “zero emission landscaping equipment.” While the bill provides a sales tax break for new equipment, new electric lawnmowers, or snow blowers can cost thousands of dollars.

“A violation of the requirements of this section is subject to 23 penalties as provided in this chapter, including as provided in RCW 70A.15.3150,” the bill reads. Punishments under that law include imprisonment and fines.

Washington wouldn’t be the first jurisdiction to ban gas-powered outdoor equipment. California will ban all gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and many other kinds of outdoor equipment by 2024. Washington, D.C., passed a similar ordinance banning gas-powered leaf blowers in 2018, which took effect in 2022.

Walen and Berry did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

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