Gas-powered chain saws, push mowers, leaf blowers and other lawn and garden equipment would disappear from stores in metro Denver and the northern Front Range by 2025 under a proposed air-quality regulation working its way through Colorado’s state government.
The proposal, if ultimately approved, also would require local governments in the state to stop using small, gas-powered equipment during the summer by 2025, and it would ban commercial operators from using the equipment during the summer months by 2026.
Gas tractors and large lawn mowers still would be allowed, and there would be some exceptions for using gas-powered equipment for forest and grasslands management and after natural disasters such as forest fires and tornado cleanups.
The policy only would be effective in the nine Front Range counties — Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld — that are in severe violation of federal clean air standards for ozone pollution. The sales ban would not be statewide.
Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment pollute the air by releasing nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gas emissions. On hot summer days, those pollutants combine to create a thick smog across the Front Range that harms people’s health and ruins mountain views.
The Regional Air Quality Council, which recommends policies for improving air quality along the Front Range, formally recommended the regulation Friday during its regular monthly meeting. It next goes to the state’s Air Quality Control Commission, which would have to approve the regulation for it to become official state policy — and the commission could make changes to the council’s proposal.
But the council’s board members, who represent local governments, state policymakers and area industry, said the new rules are critical to improving the Front Range’s poor air quality and reaching federally-mandated clean air goals.
“I hope other local governments will realize it’s time,” said Eva Henry, a Regional Air Quality Council board member and an Adams County commissioner. “It’s time to convert our old lawn and garden equipment into electric for the health of our community.”
If approved, the ban on the sale of small, gas-powered equipment could eliminate up to 18 tons of volatile organic compounds, four tons of nitrogen oxide and 4,500 tons of greenhouse gases per day, said Mike Silverstein, the council’s executive director.
“Lawn and garden equipment is a significant source of pollution,” Silverstein said.
A 2022 report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group found that fully shifting the lawn and garden sector away from gas-powered equipment could achieve nearly 20% of the cuts needed to bring ozone concentrations in the region below federal health-based air quality limits.
For now, there are no proposed fines or penalties for those who do not comply. Silverstein said there would be “soft enforcement” with requirements for record-keeping and reporting.
Silverstein said electric equipment would not cost much more than gas-powered tools for consumers. And the state offers grants and other incentives for local governments and businesses to buy them.
A quick price check on Home Depot’s website on Friday showed similar pricing, depending on the brand, the size of blades and other accessories.
Gas push mowers ranged in price from $230 to $399 while battery-powered push mowers cost between $263 and $549. Push mowers that use a power cord ranged in price from $176 to $231.
Battery-powered chainsaws were a little more expensive. A 14-inch Ryobi chainsaw that uses a battery was priced at $279 compared to $199 for a Ryobi 14-inch chainsaw that uses gas.
For now, the proposed rules would only apply to smaller lawn and garden equipment. But Silverstein said Regional Air Quality Council staff was studying heavy-duty lawn equipment and how the state might transition to electric tractors in the future.
Much of Friday’s discussion centered around whether electric equipment is durable enough for commercial use and whether local governments and small businesses would be able to afford the new equipment.
“Everybody in government is facing financial constraints,” said Bill Holen, an Arapahoe County commissioner and Regional Air Quality Council member. “As we always say in county government, we don’t like mandates.”
And Larimer County Commissioner Kristin Stephens said constituents have told her that some electric equipment, especially chainsaws, won’t be durable enough to tackle the work that professional lawn services and local governments have to do.
“That feels like it might be an issue,” Stephens said.
But Silverstein said his staff’s research shows that would not be the case — electric chainsaws can do the required work, he said.
“A lot of distributors will tell you that electric chainsaws will outperform gas,” Silverstein said.
Berthoud Mayor Will Karspeck, who once ran a landscaping business, joined an online presentation to show off his electric equipment and to explain how it works.
“I think this is really great idea and I’m totally behind it,” Karspeck said of the proposed rules.
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