ICYMI: Legislative Hearing on Gas Powered Lawn Equipment

On Tuesday, the Maryland House of Delegates’ Health and Government Operations Committee held a hearing on a bill to phase out the purchase and use of fossil-fuel lawn equipment by the state. Maryland PIRG Director Emily Scarr testified in support of the bill alongside sponsor Del. Linda Foley.

Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment produces an astonishing amount of pollution –and ear-splitting noise – right into the faces of the people operating them and into our neighborhoods.

According to Maryland PIRG Foundation’s October report, Lawn Care Goes Electric, lawn and garden equipment in Maryland emitted an estimated 597 tons of harmful “fine particulate” air pollution in 2020 – an amount equivalent to the pollution emitted by 6.4 million typical cars over the course of a year, which is more than 3 times as many cars than are registered in the  state of Maryland.

You can watch the hearing on YouTube which starts at the 1:32 mark and read our testimony to the Committee here.