According to a Feb. 21 note from the Pioneer Equipment Dealers Assn., a new bill — HF 1715 — was introduced last week in Minnesota and would prohibit the sale of gasoline powered lawn equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers after Jan. 1, 2025. Instead, those products would be required to be powered solely by electricity. 

The note from the association reads as follows:

"There are several questions surrounding this bill including: 1) will the manufacturers be able to produce enough battery powered equipment to fulfill demand, 2) how will inflationary pressure effect the price of equipment, 3) what are the performance comparisons of gasoline powered vs. battery powered equipment and, likewise, residential vs. commercial equipment, 4) how many Minnesota residents will drive out of state to purchase gasoline powered equipment for use in Minnesota, 5) and many more.

"If HF 1715 eventually passes, it would make Minnesota only the second state in the country to ban gasoline powered lawn equipment. California passed a similar bill last year which is set to take effect in 2024.

"It's important to note that as of right now, HF 1715 doesn't have a companion bill in the Minnesota Senate...yet.  Both the House and Senate need to pass a bill, and Gov. Walz would need to sign it for it to become law.

"HF 1715 has been referred to the House Commerce Finance and Policy committee, which would need to pass it before moving it on to the full House for consideration."

The full text of HF 1715 reads as follows:

[325F.187] FOSSIL FUEL POWERED LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT; PROHIBITION.

(a) On and after January 1, 2025, new lawn and garden equipment sold, offered for sale, or distributed in or into Minnesota must be powered solely by electricity.

(b) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given:

       (1) "lawn and garden equipment" means any of the following types of equipment
            powered by a spark ignition engine rated at or below 19 kilowatts or 25 gross
            horsepower:

            (i) lawnmower;

            (ii) leaf blower;

            (iii) hedge clipper;

            (iv) chainsaw;

            (v) lawn edger;

            (vi) string trimmer; or

            (vii) brushcutter; and

     (2) "spark ignition engine" means an internal combustion engine in which the

           air-fuel mixture is ignited by a spark.

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