Landscape Professionals Express Concern that Batteries Won’t Cut it

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved proposed amendments to the Small Off-Road Engine Regulations: Transition to Zero Emissions which would ban the sale of all carbon-emitting landscape equipment beginning with model-year 2024. Under a special exemption to the Clean Air Act, California can create its own regulations relating to emissions, according to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).

Though CARB issued the regulations, the rules can’t take effect until the EPA approves the waiver – a process that can take many months to finalize.

The landscape industry shares Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California policymakers’ desire to reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible. However, the industry and other interested stakeholders presented information indicating battery-powered equipment currently on the market isn’t sufficient for high-volume commercial use.

By its own calculations, CARB could have allowed for a slightly longer transition beginning in 2026, and still have achieved its targeted emission reduction goals, says NALP. Currently, 85 percent of the gas-powered landscape equipment in California is used by residential customers – only 15 percent is commercial/professional grade. NALP has advocated that CARB delay the transition for commercial users to allow time to get the electrical infrastructure in place, allow the equipment to advance and provide a longer transition time for businesses to adapt.