(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Two Democratic senators in Minnesota have introduced bills that would outlaw the use of lawn care equipment in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Jerry Newton and Heather Edelson, party members of the DFL, submitted measures on Monday to prohibit the sale of combustion-engine gardening equipment. If passed, these laws would restrict the market to electric and battery-powered equipment.
An engine rating of 19 kilowatts or less (25 gross horsepower) would be considered illegal in this context. Lawnmowers, edgers, trimmers, and chainsaws are all examples of typical lawn care machines that fit the bill.
As Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman put it, ‘now is the moment for strong action to give Minnesotans the clean energy and healthy climate they deserve.’
Polling shows that 56 percent of all Democrats support a ban similar to the one just announced on gas stoves.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) has taken the initiative by signing a measure that would outlaw the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers in the state beginning in 2024. By 2035, the state of California plans to have completely phased out the sale of automobiles fueled by gasoline.
Legislation in Minnesota is a response to a clean energy bill passed into law by Governor Tim Walz (D-Minn.) that mandates a full transition to carbon-free power generation by 2040.
One state policy expert has spoken out about the high prices and lack of infrastructure that might drive the Golden State’s electric system to the verge of collapse as state authorities continue to promote a renewable energy agenda.
California Policy Center co-founder and senior fellow Edward Ring warned that the state’s electrical system is “stretched pretty well to the limit.” The storage and transmission links simply aren’t there, and neither is the capacity to import energy or to create energy from renewable sources.
Ring and other energy experts have warned that state lawmakers in California are pushing a switch to renewable energy too quickly, putting the state’s electricity infrastructure at risk for outages that might last for years.
He continued his argument by saying it would be “extremely costly” to develop adequate wind and solar energy supplies, which would place an undue burden on consumers.
