EPA cracking down on lawnmower emissions

For most of us the summer is winding down and that unpleasant chore of mowing the lawn will be coming to an end over the next month or two. Unless of course you live in a sun-filled area year round, in which case the rest of us have little sympathy for your continued mowing.

To complement our distaste for pushing the mower around, mowers also tend to spew clouds of unmitigated exhaust that contribute to the quality of our air, and more than you would think. Now the EPA, in its push to eliminate emissions from "nonroad" sources and tackle smog and general air pollutants, is taking on small gas engines in the form of lawn movers, garden equipment, even boat engines.

While most people might not equate a small engine with smog or substantial emissions, their cumulative impact on the environment is quite large. These engines lack catalytic converters, a device installed in most cars to lower emissions. Without them, they can produce 4 times more pollution per hour than cars. These emissions include nitrogen oxide, CO2, unburnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, etc.

And since refueling is done at home, and with mostly 2-cycle engines, gasoline and oil are spilled regularly, to the tune of an estimated 17 million gallons annually.

Under the EPAs new regulations, "gas-powered engines in lawn and garden equipment will be required to cut smog-forming emissions by 35 percent, while engines in personal watercraft will have to cut smog-forming emissions by 70 percent and reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 20 percent." The required comply-by dates are 2011 and 2010 respectively, a short time period that will make industry compliance a tricky thing, so we expect a certain backlash and accompanying lobbying.

Increases in efficiency, resulting from the new rules, are expected to save 190 million gallons of gas annually, a huge amount considering what it's being used in.

via Reuters