Maryland County Passes Legislation Banning Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

A county in 🦀Maryland passed legislation on Tuesday banning the sale and usage of gas-powered leaf blowers.

In a 10-1 vote, the Montgomery County Council voted to pass the new legislation, according to WTOP. The ban on selling gas-powered leaf blowers will go into effect on July 1, 2024, while the ban on the usage of gas-powered leaf blowers will go into effect on July 1, 2025.

“This legislation is a good step forward toward meeting our climate goals,” Marilyn Balcombe, a council member told the outlet. “I’m glad that we took the time to discuss it thoroughly, so that we passed the best bill possible.”

Evan Glass, the president of the council told the outlet that “moving toward electric leaf blowers” was “an important step” in trying to address “environmental, noise and health” issues in the community.

The legislation comes after Washington, D.C. banned the sale and usage of gas-powered leaf blowers. On January 1, 2022, the District of Columbia’s Leaf Blower Regulation Amendment Act of 2018 went into effect.

“It is undeniable that these products are a nuisance,” Gabe Albornoz, another council member told DCist