Swarthmore was on track to become the first Pennsylvania municipality to ban two-stroke, gas-powered lawn equipment, such as leaf blowers and string trimmers, as part of a fight against climate change. But an ordinance to do so has been derailed for at least a month as the borough council faces pushback by both residents and landscaping business owners, who claim a ban would lead to a glut of dirty equipment that would have to be disposed of, an extra burden of cost for seniors and others having to buy new electric machines, and an expensive new overhead for landscapers who say battery-powered equipment costs multiples of gas-powered machines. However, the ordinance does have support of residents who say the equipment is an auditory menace, highly polluting and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. If the council approves the ordinance in coming months, it could become the first Pennsylvania town to do so. More than 100 communities across the United States have passed laws to restrict or ban the equipment, but none in Pennsylvania.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 6/17/2024