California Off Road Fossil Fuels Powered Ban

Sep 17, 2021 1 Replies

The legislature is apparently ready to pass a ban on fossil fueled off road engines under 25 hp. Lawn mowers, trimmers, chain saws, and a lot of the smaller tractors would fall under this ban.

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We had one of these when I was a kid. I don't think it ever got used.
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My brother and I recently bought a compact tractor to do work on our farmstead. There seemed to be a dividing line right at the 25 hp. mark. Sub compact tractors were under 25 hp. Compact were above 25 hp. possibly up to 40 hp.


"This bill would require the state board, by July 1, 2022, consistent with federal law, to adopt cost-effective and technologically feasible regulations to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from NEW (emphasis ed.) small off-road engines, as defined by the state board. The bill would require the state board to identify and, to the extent feasible, make available funding for commercial rebates or similar incentive funding as part of any updates to existing applicable funding program guidelines to local air pollution control districts and air quality management districts to implement to support the transition to zero-emission small off-road equipment operations."

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"The Governor's Executive Order No. N-79-20 of September 23, 2020, directs the state board to implement strategies to achieve 100 percent zero emissions from off-road equipment in California by 2035, where feasible and cost-effective. The state will not achieve that goal without further regulation of SORE, including a mandate to transition all sales of new equipment to zero-emission equipment.

Note "Where feasible and cost-effective".

Note that this hasn't been signed into law.

Note that it anticipates feasible battery power. Not push mowers.

Read the bill, not some random article somewhere.

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