In an effort to fight climate change, two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota have come up with two bills that would have a big effect on the state’s backyards and neighborhood ice rinks.
Reps Jerry Newton and Heather Edelson of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party introduced a bill on Monday that would stop the sale of lawnmowers, chainsaws, and ice-resurfacing machines like Zambonis. Starting on January 1, 2025, only electric battery versions of these tools would be allowed to be sold in the state.
Lawn and garden tools that use “a spark ignition engine rated at or below 19 kilowatts or 25 gross horsepower” would be banned. By that definition, it would be against the law to use tools like lawnmowers, leaf blowers, hedge clippers, chainsaws, lawn edgers, string trimmers, and brush cutters.
The measure is based on a clean energy bill that was backed by Democrats and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz. That bill says that 80% of electricity must be made without carbon by 2030 and 100% by 2040. It was called the “blackout bill” by Republicans.
“DFLers are committed to taking action on climate change,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman told Alpha News after lawmakers passed the bill. “Unchecked climate pollution threatens Minnesota’s future.” “Now is the time to be brave and make sure Minnesotans have the clean energy and healthy climate they deserve in the future.”
Some Democratic-run cities, like New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, and others, are also trying to ban fuel-burning appliances, like gas stoves, because they might be bad for your health and the environment. A Morning Consult poll found that 56% of Democratic voters would support the ban, while 56% of Republican voters would not. 39% of independent voters would support the ban, and the rest are either slightly in favor or don’t know.
Gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers will no longer be sold in California after 2021, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that says so. The California Air Resources Board also decided that by 2035, all new cars and trucks in the state will be powered by electric batteries.
»Climate pollution forces lawmakers to move a motion to ban all gas powered garden equipment«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯