More than 100 groups support NY landscaping equipment rebate program bill

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally comes from and can be found in full from CBS6 News in Albany.

New York's electric landscaping equipment rebate program bill passed the State Senate in March, and now has the support of more than 100 groups hoping to see it passed by the Assembly as well.

"When the leaf blowers start up, when the neighbor next door has the landscaping company come in and they're driving their lawn mowers over the big grass, those things are noisy. We all know it. They also emit. They have emissions, greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution," Blair Horner, Senior Policy Advisor at NYPIRG said on Power & Politics. "They give off so much it's actually the equivalent of a number of cars. So these types of equipment are responsible for noise pollution and air pollution, and there's an alternative. But the problem is, the alternative is more expensive, right? And so the legislation says that the state will create an incentive program for landscaping companies when they want to sell, get rid of their product, because they burn through leaf blowers like there's no tomorrow, when they want to replace them, they can get an incentive from the state to use quieter, cleaner, battery powered equipment."

Horner says only landscaping companies and municipalities are eligible for the rebates.