Winter in New York: temperatures are dropping, the snow is building up. Leaf blowers are stored away, as snow blowers are getting cranked up.
Though windows will be closed and most of us will be sheltering inside for the winter months, the pollution caused by gas powered landscaping equipment of all kinds — including snow blowers — will likely be the subject of debate during the 2026 legislative session.
Gas-powered equipment continues to pollute NY
We all know how loud gas-powered equipment can be: Gas-powered snow blowers and lawn equipment, for example, are much louder than electric equipment. What many New Yorkers may not know is that the noise is more than just annoying: studies show that it also poses a significant health threat as well. For example, most gas-powered leaf blowers exceed 70 decibels measured at 50 feet, which is considered dangerous to hearing. This is not only annoying to the public, it damages the hearing of the landscaping workers, especially when the equipment is used repeatedly over long periods of time.
These machines are not only staggeringly loud, but they also produce a shocking amount of air pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, fossil fuel-powered landscaping equipment emitted tons of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that can cause serious public health and environmental damage. Overall, New York ranked fourth (behind California, Florida and Texas) for climate pollution from gas-powered landscaping equipment, with emissions estimated at 1.37 million tons, the annual equivalent of the emissions from more than 300,000 cars on the road. The state ranked third (behind Florida and Texas) when comparing fine particulates (PM2.5). Fine particulates can damage people’s hearts and lungs…