New Gas-Powered Lawn Mowers Could Be Outlawed In Minnesota This Year
New gas-powered lawn equipment like lawnmowers and leaf blowers could be a thing of the past in Minnesota if a new bill becomes law.
The DFL-controlled state legislature in Minnesota has been moving at a quick pace so far during the 2023 session, passing several big bills that Gov. Tim Walz has already signed into law. And a new bill introduced earlier this week is one that could cause many Minnesotans to do a double-take.
Earlier this month, Gov. Walz signed a new clean energy bill into law that requires power utilities across the Land of 10,000 Lakes to go carbon-free by 2040 and to generate power from only renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and hydrogen.
READ MORE: This Minnesota County Passed a Law That Made Smoking In Your Own Car Illegal
And, following in those carbon-free footprints, a new bill introduced by two Minnesota state legislators would prohibit the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment in the Gopher State. Familiar things like new gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers, clippers, chainsaws, string trimmers, and edgers would all be outlawed under the bill.
You can relax a little, though: Gas-powered snowblowers would still be allowed. Whew!
According to this Patch story, DFL Representatives Heather Edelson of Edina and Jerry Newton of Coon Rapids introduced that bill (known as HF 1715) earlier this week in the Minnesota House of Representatives that would indeed make the sale of all of those gas-powered gadgets illegal.
On and after January 1, 2025, new lawn and garden equipment sold, offered for sale, or distributed in or into Minnesota must be powered solely by electricity.
If that bill eventually passes, it would make Minnesota only the second state in the country to ban gas-powered lawn equipment. California passed a similar bill last year which is set to take effect in 2024.
It's important to note that as of right now, that House bill doesn't have a companion bill in the Minnesota Senate... yet. In the Bold North, both the House and Senate need to pass a bill, and Gov. Walz would need to sign it for it to become law.
The bill has now been referred to the House Commerce Finance and Policy committee, which would need to pass it before moving it onto the full House for consideration.
And, the bill apparently only applies to sales of *NEW* lawn equipment, so even if it does pass, you'll still be able to use your existing gas-powered equipment. Until they need replacing, that is.
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