New York County Considers Law Mandating Reduced-Emissions Leaf Blowers

Westchester, N.Y., County Executive Andrew Spano is proposing to force landscapers to switch within two years to new leaf blowers that meet stricter pollution-emission standards.

Spano plans to submit the legislation to the county Board of Legislators this week for consideration. If approved, the law would be phased in through 2009.

A standard-issue gas-powered leaf blower operating for 30 minutes puts out more emissions than a car traveling 2,000 miles, Spano said. The proposal is estimated to avert more than 10 tons of pollution from being released in Westchester each year, he said.

But Joe Tinelli, president of the New York State Turf and Landscape Association, which represents 350 mostly Westchester-area businesses, said owners who already feel their industry was under siege won't be pleased with Spano's proposal.

"Pretty soon we're going to have to go with goats and have them chew the grass, and they'll (complain) about the deposits the goats make. We can't win," lamented Tinelli, who runs Tinelli Landscape Contracting in Yonkers. "I'm laughing about it, but I'm delirious after a while -- all we do is fight regulation."

The law would mandate that by 2008, no more than 50 percent of the leaf blowers used by the county and landscapers could exceed the lower-emissions standards. By 2009, all of the machines would have to be the "cleaner" models.

Any contractor or landscaper seeking to renew a two-year license starting in 2008 would have to list the types of leaf blowers the business owns and certify that they meet the new thresholds.

New blowers cost about $500 each; Spano said the phase-in would cushion the impact.

The county owns 160 backpack and push-style blowers for use on its own properties. Replacing them would cost an estimated $80,000.

Andrew Neuman, senior assistant to the county executive, compared the bill to requiring a homeowner to buy an energy-efficient clothes dryer or other appliance. He said landscapers are likely to replace their leaf blowers every two to four years anyway.

While the reduced-emissions leaf blowers might be "slightly more expensive," Neuman said, "it's a clean-air thing. We think it's a small, nominal investment (to mandate). Any costs could be passed on to customers, he said.

County officials believe "everyone would be willing to pay a little bit more to have their lawns cleaned if they knew it was spreading less pollution," Neuman said. In addition, he said, the new models "tend to be quieter" -- another boon for communities that try to regulate the blowers' noise.

Tinelli agreed most landscapers replace their leaf blowers within four years, but he said some can last longer with good care.

He said the solution should lie in putting federal pressure on the manufacturers to make cleaner models, "rather than on us to throw away our blowers because they don't fit into their pollution situation."

The law would apply throughout Westchester, with the exception of contractors who work only within Yonkers, which has its own licensing procedures.

A violation could lead to a fine of $1,000; a contractor who fails to comply could also have his or her license revoked or denied.

The county would provide landscapers with a list of products that meet the new standards.

According to Spano's staff, a similar effort in the Los Angeles area replaced 1,500 leaf blowers and eliminated an estimated 14 tons of harmful emissions a year.