Thar She Blows: Region’s Springtime Leviathan Remerges
April 27, 2026
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It blows my mind how protective we are of a gasoline-powered machine that spits lung-infecting fine particulate matter and whose caterwaul can waken the dead. In southern New England statehouses the mantra remains: “I’ll give you my leaf blower when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.”
Last month, in Connecticut, the Environment Committee advanced, by a 26-8 vote, a neutered bill related to leaf blowers. The original language of Senate bill 319 would have made it illegal to sell gas-powered handheld or backpack leaf blowers by Jan. 1, 2029, and illegal to use them by Sept. 1, 2030.
The bill was stripped of those mandates. I’ll let Sen. Rick Lopes, D-New Britain, co-chair of the Environment Committee and deputy majority leader, explain:
“I don’t think we’re ready yet for a ban, but we do want to keep the needle moving,” Lopes said. “We have no intention to hurt people who are professional contractors.”
I never realized how dangerous raking leaves could be. Who knew breathing in air pollution and blowing dust around, in lieu of some upper-body exercise, is less hurtful?
The watered-down bill allows for funding to be provided in the form of loans, through the Connecticut Green Bank, for landscaping businesses and others who want to buy or lease battery-powered equipment.
The unmandated revision is still too much for some politicians to bear.
Rep. Patrick Callahan, R-Danbury, said removing the mandates from the bill was a “good move,” but he still couldn’t support the legislation because electric leaf blowers simply aren’t as good as gas-powered ones.
Not to be outdone in the race to the illogical bottom, Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, offered this: “I think people should be able to use a gas-powered device if they need one. Forcing people to go electric means it’s not going to get the job done.”
Before taking a lower-paying job as a journalist in my mid-20s, I worked for a landscape/construction company. We always managed to get the job done with rakes and brooms.
Sadly, Dubitsky wasn’t done. He decided to share how during a recent power outage he had to fire up his gas-powered generator to charge an electric battery for a tool he needed. He didn’t mention the tool, and it remains a mystery as how he survived the ordeal.
Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Granby, said he is glad the ban was removed from the bill, but he still voted against advancing it to the floor.
“We all want to reduce air pollution, noise pollution,” he said, “but the gas-powered ones are far more productive.”
To protect their mental health, don’t tell these gasoline-huffing lawmakers that several Connecticut municipalities, such as Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, and Westport, have enacted their own ordinances regulating gas-powered leaf blowers. Their heads will explode as they try to understand how leaves are collected in those places without injury and bankruptcy.
If Anderson truly wanted to reduce air and noise pollution, he would be onboard with outlawing gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment. Leaf blowers, lawn mowers, weed wackers, and hedge trimmers emit as much pollution in an hour as driving hundreds of miles in a car.
Leaf blowers emit between 80 and 85 decibels of noise, but cheap or mid-range ones can emit up to 112 decibels. Weed whackers can emit up 96 decibels. Lawn mowers range from 82 to 90 decibels.
Much of this pollution is generated in neighborhoods, where people live, play, and relax.
Pollution from millions of gas-powered lawn-care machines accumulates. It doesn’t magically disappear. According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency, all of this fossil fuel-powered equipment annually emits:
Some 22,000 tons of fine particulates — pollutants that have been linked to respiratory ailments, reproductive and mental health issues, and premature death. That is as much pollution as would be produced annually by 230 million average gasoline-powered cars.
About 68,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 350,000 tons of volatile organic compounds — the two chemical components of ground-level ozone, which triggers asthma attacks and contributes to other health problems. Nitrogen oxide emissions from lawn-care equipment are equal to annual emissions from 30 million average cars.
About 30 million tons of carbon dioxide, a leading cause of global warming, and a wide array of chemicals that cause cancer, including benzene and formaldehyde.
All of that air pollution in just one year of mowing, whacking, and blowing to manicure an outdated status symbol and to clear pavement of leaves and grass clippings.
Despite the considerable amount of pollution — air, noise, and human lung — that gas-powered leaf blowers cause, southern New England’s three legislatures fail to do anything about it. Just a few generations ago, the local landscape industry survived just fine without these fossil fuel-powered backpacks.
Note: The more leaves left on your lawn or in your garden, the healthier your soil and the plants it feeds become.
Frank Carini can be reached at [email protected]. His opinions don’t reflect those of ecoRI News.
disappointed that CT which is usually a sensible state is also in thrall to those who love noise, pollution, and annoying neighbors. Don’t hire such so-called “landscapers!”
frank
I look forward to your annual investigative reporting on one of my favorite pieces of power equipment. i’ve got a commercial grade Husqvarna back pack leaf blower that will push a maple tree down. you should see how nice all my flowering beds look in the spring. And to your point maybe if everybody picked up a rake and got some exercise instead of “calling somebody” the environment would benefit. i should also confess that i have a 18 hp , 36″ Gravely walk behind mower that i thoroughly love because i spend an hour a week behind it for 6 months cutting my 20,000 sf of manicured lawn. As i look out over the property on a Monday i reach a narcotic Zen from seeing my fruit trees, my vegetables, my landscaping and my lawn in cosmic harmony. i have to admit that my son bought me a Milwaukee 18 v leaf blower which i clean garage with constantly, and its very impressive. it won’t however topple a maple tree.
you do great work, keep it up 🙂
I hate leaf blowers for all the reasons in the article, but even more important is the fact that leaves on the ground provide so much for the critters that live in the leaf litter. It shelters insects that are vital for pollination and for birds. Insects are essential for feeding baby birds this time of year and year round for other ecosystem functions. When I see people cleaning all of the leaves off their properties I think of how rapidly insect and bird populations are declining. What people don’t realize is that their manicured lawn is a desert for living things and that humans cannot continue to exist without the other creatures in our ecosystem.
Meanwhile in RI, the GA is considering a bill to block cities and towns from regulating gas landscape equipment (H7510/S2574), and and nearly $200,000 rebate funds from dedicated to helping businesses acquire electric leaf blowers is left unclaimed. And a similar watering-down process happened with PVD’s leaf blowers ordinance, which initially included a provision to prohibit gas blowers in summer months beginning in 2028, and passed with even that small measure pushed out until 2033. Successfully all-electric landscape businesses prove it can be done, and thankfully we finally have one starting up in Providence and nearby towns this year. Hopefully this will help nudge some change.
Thanks, Frank for reminding us about the dangers of gas leaf blowers and all machines that use this archaic 2-cycle engine technology. The public is hardly aware of the horrific dangers belched out from gas powered leaf blowers, string trimmers and hedge trimmers. Once they are made aware of these dangers, they pay attention, ask landscapers for alternatives, and are told that alternatives don’t work and will cost them much more for the service. I call BS. Many hundreds of battery electric landscaping business across the US offer exception service at the SAME cost as the dangerous gas-powered service. Home and business owners need to complain to their local city and town council early and often. This WILL lead to change. Otherwise, the exceptionally dangerous situation with gas-powered landscaping equipment will continue.
Here are some examples of battery electric landscapers who are making the transition happen, and thriving at the same time…
Testimony from Doug Downing of Advanced Environmental Lawn Services, Lower Merion PA, starts at 2:32:04
https://www.youtube.com/live/phsKxv42-Jc?t=8927s
Doug is the owner of advanced environmental lawn service. He’s been all electric for many years. He maintains residential, commercial and government accounts up to 15 acres. The cost of entry is a little more expensive than gas. That’s because he’s buying the equivalent of fuel up front at the time of purchasing the electric equipment. The power of battery electric equipment is equal to or better than gas. He uses a strong 1145 CFM backpack blower. The weight of the equipment is similar to gas powered equipment. His runtime is shorter than gas powered, but he charges batteries in the field during the day, which gets swapped out during in each machine during the day and is very efficient. Batteries charge very fast, and he only needs 2-3 battery sets per crew. He is all electric for every part of his business. Customers love the service. Customers think the service is very quiet and he is doing this service even for large properties. His business is profitable. His return on investment is 1.5 years. Employees also love battery electric equipment. No smell, less vibration, very easy to use, and virtually no maintenance.
Testimony from Dan Delventhal (owner) of Mow Green in Bridgeport CT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZu21NAjAA0
Moe Green landscaping. Based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, services approximately 60 acres weekly using all battery powered leaf blowers. His prices are very competitive and the same as gas powered service. The technology is here NOW! Our battery blowers are very strong and enough to do any property year-round. He currently uses 800 CFM blowers, but there’s also new models with 900 to 1100 CFM. The issue that battery leaf blowers are not up for the task is a mute-point. It’s not true. Gas power likely exceeds local noise ordinance. Battery electric equipment is not an issue. Fast chargers and spare batteries keep us running all day long. My crews spend less time switching batteries than refueling with gas. You don’t need two dozen batteries per blower. Hundreds of landscapers have found it very profitable to use battery electric leaf blowers. The argument based on power, weight, batteries, recycling, fires are all yesterday’s arguments. People focus on the perceived higher upfront costs, but ignore the lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over time, which is always better for battery powered blowers. Savings from electric equipment begins on day one. No more maintenance and less down time. Our experience with battery longevity is between 3-8 years of life. Recycling batteries can be done at big box stores or at solid waste facilities. Our business is thriving. Clients who used to use gas contractors are happy with our service, even the squeaky-clean clients that want their lawn manicured are happy. Public health benefits are important, and the industry will figure out how to deal with a battery electric landscaping world. We always have!
Serenity Lawn Care testimony, Huntington NY
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1351rCrxxjNEG0j71NlLl0dptrCuXn8T5/view
Serenity lawn care, Huntington NY. Kevin Boudram founder. 5 years of battery electric lawn care experience. Approximately 60 accounts per week serviced. Price, power, performance are more than enough to replace gas landscaping services. He uses commercial grade mowers, which cost approximately $1800. Uses 800 CFM Works backpack blowers, which cost approximately $350 each, versus a Stihl gas blower BR800 which is approximately $650 each. He uses approximately $35 a month to charge all of his equipment. Savings from not buying gas allows us to purchase sufficient batteries to go a full day without having to charge in the field. Services all 60 properties a week – in addition to hedge trimming services – with no battery issues. Power is not an issue with battery electric equipment. We cut grass up to three feet high with battery electric equipment. Lifespan of electric equipment is good. Three years is a minimum that we have seen with our equipment and even when it doesn’t work as designed, the equipment manufacturers help us out with needed replacements – often for free – and battery electric technology has great warranties. Power and runtime are not issues with operating our battery electric business. What we need to do is work together between industry and government to decrease noise and pollution.
Check out this all electric company serving RI…awesome.
https://www.ecoquietlawncare.com/
My battery powered lawn equipment gets the job done with far less noise and pollution.
A lot of people do not yet know that all-electric, full-service landscaping is now available in Rhode Island. Eco-Quiet Lawn Care just expanded into RI this past fall. They have already been in business in Massachusetts for more than a decade. George, the owner, is great! I encourage anybody interested to check it out: https://www.ecoquietlawncare.com/
There’s a very special place in Lucifer’s armpit for the inventor of gasoline leaf blowers…