RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Gas-powered leaf blowers are receiving blowback in the Virginia General Assembly.
Virginia residents who oppose the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in their communities appeared in front of a House Counties, Cities and Towns Subcommittee on Friday, Jan. 26 to voice their concerns.
“Right now, leaf blowers kind of take over our lives,” said Alexandria resident Susan Davis to the House subcommittee.
The subcommittee approved a bill that would allow local governments to pass ordinances to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers if they choose.
“They pose a risk of lung disease to the users, especially to landscaping workers who must use them several hours a day,” said Fairfax County resident Jim Gillespie to the subcommittee. “The two-stroke engines fail to combust 30% of their fuel and emit 23 times the carbon monoxide and 300 times more hydrocarbons per hour than a Ford F-150.”
Despite the bill advancing, not everyone is on board.
“They’ve oftentimes invested a lot of money in leaf blowers,” said Rob Bohannon, who represents the Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association. “What they have told me is ‘Give us something that works just as good, we are happy you use it.’”
Bohannon also responded to complaints from residents about leaf blowers being too noisy and hurting their ears.
“A lot of localities have noise ordinances so that they can regulate this,” said Bohannon.
The debate comes two years after Washington D.C. banned the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.
