Another member’s phone testimony:
My name is —, and I’m a resident of Fairfax County. I applaud the Board of Supervisors’ seeking to facilitate the use of electric vehicles for cleaner transport. However, it is disappointing that gas powered landscape equipment is not included in this effort to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. According to the U.S. Dept of Transport, in 2021, landscape equipment used 3 bn gallons of gas.
Of this equipment, the most hated item must be the gas-powered leaf blower. Many commercial models operate at 90 to 100 dB and their emissions include high levels of nitrous oxides and carcinogens such as benzene for which no safe level has been established.
Gas leaf blowers may be fine in rural areas, but many residents of densely populated neighborhoods with small lots find the horredous noise and fumes intolerable. DC banned them in 2019. Montgomery Ct listened to its residents and has recently taken this step with a ban on both sales and use. This is a win for quality of life, for public health, for wildlife, for climate action, and for landscape crews. The residents of Fx Ct deserve the right to choose this option too.
I urge the Board of Supervisors to include in its legislative program, the authority to ban or restrict the use of these loud filthy tools in our county. Thank you.”