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BACKGROUND <br /> State Legislation <br /> AB 13461, adopted by the California Legislature in 2021, will phase out the sale of new <br /> gas-powered small off-road engines (SOREs) in California by January 1, 2024. Types of <br /> equipment covered by AB 1346 include leaf blowers and other spark-ignition engines <br /> with less than 25 gross horsepower (e.g., lawn mowers, chain saws, leaf blowers, etc.). <br /> AB 1346 also required the California Air Resources Board (CARB), by July 1, 2022, to <br /> set emissions requirements for small off-road engines to zero by 2024 or whenever <br /> CARB determines is feasible. In December 2021, CARB commenced a SORE <br /> rulemaking process consistent with AB 1346 requirements. Currently, CARB's SORE <br /> rulemaking package provides a path for the transition of SORE equipment to zero- <br /> emission equipment beginning with model year 2024. <br /> Under state law, gas-powered leaf blowers cannot be sold in California beginning <br /> January 1, 2024, but state law would not prohibit the use of existing gas-powered leaf <br /> blowers. <br /> Local Priority <br /> The City Council's adopted FY 2021/22-2022/23 Work Plan included a priority action to <br /> adopt a City ordinance banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Pleasanton for <br /> public health. <br /> The City's adopted Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0 outlines greenhouse gas (GHG) <br /> emissions in the city. Pleasanton's largest source of GHG emissions come from <br /> transportation, comprising 64 percent of all emissions. Leaf blower use is captured <br /> within the CAP 2.0's GHG inventory in off-road emissions, accounting for 8 percent of <br /> that total. As such, the CAP 2.0 moves to electrifying off-road equipment at the <br /> municipal level (Action P6) and community level (Action P7), among other related <br /> actions such as partnering with local organizations to provide incentives and <br /> investigating opportunities to reduce off-road construction equipment. Action P.7, when <br /> fully implemented, is estimated in CAP 2.0 to reduce emissions by 76,200 MTCO2e2 <br /> through the year 2030. <br /> Additionally, in recent years, community members have advocated for additional <br /> regulations on the use and operability of leaf blowers in the city, citing noise and <br /> emissions as primary concerns. <br /> At least 20 other cities in California have enacted a form of gas-powered leaf blower <br /> bans,3 Some of these ordinances impose complete bans on gas-powered leaf blowers <br /> whereas others have adopted a partial ban and have limited hours of operation. Some <br /> cities, such as San Anselmo, have adopted bans on all gas-powered lawn equipment. <br /> To date, none of the Tri-Valley cities (Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, and Livermore) have <br /> adopted a gas-powered leaf blower ban, although there is interest in doing so. <br /> ' Introduced February 2021, Approved October 2021 <br /> '- Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent <br /> 'These include Belvedere, San Anselmo,Alameda, Oakland, Sonoma,and Los Gatos. <br /> Page 2 of 7 <br />