EPA sets tough new emissions standards for lawn, boat engines
Photo by Rustybuckets. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
Ready for more catalytic converters in your motors? Under new rules set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday, many small, off-road engines that were previously allowed to cough up dark smoke to their hearts' content will be cleaned up. Under the new regulations (the Detroit News calls them "sweeping"), any 25hp or under lawn mower will need to be fitted with the catalytic converters starting in 2011. Recreational boats are also part of the new law, and will need to be in compliance in 2010.
This is good news for the air, since the EPA estimates that boat and lawn care engines cause about a quarter of the carbon monoxide emissions in the U.S. About 25 percent of the gasoline put into small engines comes out of the exhaust without being burned - and an hour-long ride on a riding mower is as dirty as 34 average cars running during that same hour - and the EPA says that these regulations will save about 190 million gallons of gasoline a year.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sean 6:54PM (9/05/2008)
Good! It's about time.
Perhaps people will more likely consider electric mowers too now. (I just wish they'd offer 240V versions for faster blade speed and/or higher amp versions for more torque.)
For the record, I have an 18" corded mulching electric mower for the past 10 years and it still works great. All of the benefits of electric cars apply to it. No maintenance (except blade sharpening of course,) much less noise, no smell, light weight, no gas/oil, and no stalling!
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why not the LS2LS7? 2:34AM (9/06/2008)
I use a cordless electric mower. There are no issues with torque. There can be with battery capacity, if you have an above average-sized lawn.
ziv 7:13PM (9/05/2008)
I kind of wish they would enact noise limits on leaf blowers, lawn mowers, snowmobiles, jet skis and boats at the same time. Set the initial decibel rating at a point high enough that 98% of the products sold today are ok, and then slowly decrease the decibels allowed over a 10 year time frame. I hate hiking along a lake, beautiful day, wild life active, then a personal water craft screams by and the woods are dead for 15 minutes til the animals feel it is safe to move about again. And don't even get me started on how asinine the use of most leaf blowers is, and how loud the danged things are...
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Mark 8:12PM (9/05/2008)
Wow, the Bush-era EPA is actually going to mandate a reduction in emissions for a product? Did they initiate this or does it predate them?
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ryan 9:33PM (9/05/2008)
This is pretty surprising to me. I had no idea how dirty those things were. I thought that many boat manufacturers had adopted a voluntary star rating system based on how clean their product was. Honda released turbo-charged watercrafts that were supposed to be much cleaner than competing brands. Anyways, it is good that government regulation will make boats join in with cars on emission regulations. I have to strongly disagree with the noise thing on boats and jet skis though... without noise you could have some real dangerous conditions brew up. The kind of conditions where boats run over jet skiers and jet skiers ram boats. Certain lakes should just become more strict on whether or not powered watercraft are allowed on it.
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Matt 10:14PM (9/05/2008)
I recently switched to a cordless electric/battery mower by Neuton. So far it's been great. I got the smaller one so it's a narrower cutting swath than my gas Craftsman/Honda but that's not a huge deal for me. It does my 60'x130' lot with no problem whatsoever. It cuts St Augustine (even wet) fine. I expect it won't mulch leaves all that great this fall but that's acceptable. The lower noise, maintenance, and lack of exhaust smell (you don't appreciate that until it's not there) all far outweigh any negatives for me.
My next step is to get a solar panel for the shed before the Production Tax Credits expire this year (thanks to the Republicans protecting the oil company subsidies) so I can recharge the mower and other garden tools via solar energy.
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rj 11:35PM (9/05/2008)
The rules
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/equip-ld.htm#regs
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Lad 11:58PM (9/05/2008)
I'm still waiting for the BLT (Battery Lawn Tractor).
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Rich 10:55AM (9/06/2008)
General Electric Elec-trak lawn tractors from the 70s. They made a whole line from 36" cut to small commercial size.
Joseph 12:09AM (9/07/2008)
I'm glad the EPA is finally getting this done. From reading the helpful link above, I found out that, thankfully, having a catalytic converter is only necessary if you can't meet the standards without it. Otherwise, other technologies can be used instead.
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Nick 12:20AM (9/06/2008)
It's about time isn't it?
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why not the LS2LS7? 2:38AM (9/06/2008)
CARB is way ahead on this.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/12/ap/tech/mainD8LV0Q3O0.shtml
I'm glad to see this is nationwide, it'll save a lot of hassle.
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Richard Rader 4:00PM (9/09/2008)
Why don't they do something with the straight pipe Harleys! They've got to be worse than my 4 stroke lawn mower
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Glenn Knight 7:19PM (9/25/2008)
Please note, the new emission regulations for small spark ignition engines are still combining both hydrocarbons PLUS oxides of nitrogen (HC's+NOX) together for ONE emission value rather then being regulated such are those of cars and trucks. ie = hydrocarbons AND oxides of nitrogen, each pollutant regulated separate. Regulating both pollutants in ONE emission value is truly allowing manufacturers of small engines a significant increase in oxides of nitrogen levels. ie = 10 grams -per-kw/hr for HC's+NOX can be 2 grams of hydrocarbons and 8 grams of oxides of nitrogen, so, isn't this like robbing Peter to pay Paul? It's my opinion that the combining of both pollutants in ONE emission value is nothing more than a cop-out for manufacturers of small engines.
Oxides of nitrogen emitted by small engines can move or blow from state to state, country to country, mixing with hydrocarbons created by other sources and form SMOG, so where are the real advantages??
The use of electricity to power or recharge lawn and garden equipment is only forcing the emissions bill over to the electric generating facilities, unless of coarse the electricity is being generated by water, wind or solar.
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