ATLANTA — A new study shows just how toxic gas-powered leaf blowers can be. It came after the Georgia House and Senate nearly enacted legislation this year to protect gas-powered leaf blowers.
The Senate bill would protect gas-powered leaf blowers by making it illegal for cities or counties to make laws banning them. Some Democratic-led municipalities have enacted such laws. For example, California regulators have reportedly banned the sale of them starting next year.
The alternative is battery-powered leaf blowers, which, Republicans say, aren’t practical.
"If you use an electric blower, you would know the average run time is a mere eighteen minutes. You can’t move a lot of leaves with that," said state Sen. Shawn Still (R-Norcross) during a Senate debate on the measure in February.
Landscapers also opposed the bill, echoing Still's concern that electric blowers aren't powerful enough to replace gas blowers on big jobs.
The Senate passed the bill to protect gas blowers. Yet they are increasingly the bane of environmentalists. In October, a research group reported research showing a single leaf blower used for one hour emits pollutants comparable to a gas-powered automobile driven 1,100 miles.
Count Sudie Cunnann is among the Georgia residents who would like to see gas-powered leaf blowers go away.
"It's so obnoxious," she said Tuesday while walking past a crew of landscapers working in Atlanta's Morningside community. "They’re toxic. I do not like the noise. In this day and age, everything should be battery-operated. That’s my opinion. I can’t stand them."
The Republican-led Senate and House passed separate bills protecting gas-powered leaf blowers but could not agree on language to unite the two bills.
Republicans will be motivated to power through a compromise leaf blower bill when they meet again in January – and could have it on the books by this time next year.