Comment Log Display

Dear Chair Randolph and Members of the Board, 
 
I am a California resident in Los Angeles County and I support the
adoption of new regulations that will phase out the sale of
highly-polluting gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn equipment in
California beginning in 2024. Hopefully, this will NOT be
prohibitively expensive for landscaping companies; it should not be
construed by manufacturers as an excuse to increase prices to the
point where landscaping companies would need egregious amounts of
financial assistance to comply, above and beyond what is currently
available.
 
But the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers in
particular causes numerous health problems, and greatly contributes
to California's notoriously poor air quality. California continues
to fail to meet national air quality standards, which means that
millions of Californians like myself breathe unhealthy air
everyday, and I have asthma (and sensitivity to the noise pollution
produced as well by gas-powered SOREs, but that's a different
focus).
 
CARB's public health benefit analysis determined that these new
regulations, if adopted, will result in: 

    $8.8 billion in health insurance benefits through 2043
    892 premature deaths avoided
    438 fewer emergency room visits for asthma (I personally
haven't had to go yet, but it's been a near thing more than once)
    311 fewer hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiovascular
issues

The California Legislature also appropriated $30 million for your
agency to distribute to small proprietor landscapers to help them
begin to acquire and transition to new, zero emission electric and
manual equipment. This is in addition to subsidies and buy back
programs already led by air districts throughout the state.

This regulation will improve air quality, help to slow the climate
crisis, improve human health, and save lives.

Please approve and amend the SORE regulations per the staff
recommendation.

Thanks,

Nancy