No mo' mowers and yo' leaf blowers...

SavedByGrace3 · Jan 26, 2026

It gets just a little stranger...
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2114

ThatRobGuy · Jan 26, 2026

Well, just for the sake of being complete...

This is a bill that's still in a status of "in committee", there's still 4 more steps before it would become law.

You have to keep in mind, the lower house of any legislature is going to have a few "odd balls" in it (especially state legislatures), and most bills die in the "referred to committee" phase like this one is currently in.

It's doubtful that an Assembly member's bill (and one who represents a few smaller neighborhoods in Brooklyn, where nobody has lawns to mow for the most part) to ban gas mowers would get the stamp of approval from fellow assembly members in other parts of the state where they actually have lawns.

It's worth noting that this assembly member has a track record of proposing some bills seen as "odd"... like the bill that tried to cap weekly gambling to 5,000 dollars (you can guess how the Casinos and high rollers in NY reacted to that one -- and how would they even enforce it? With a Casino registry where you have to swipe your drivers license before every slot machine pull?), and proposed a bill for a "Helicopter Noise Tax" (from what I'm reading, neither of which made it out of committee)

If I were a New Yorker, I wouldn't be terribly worried about this one.

SavedByGrace3 · Jan 26, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
Well, just for the sake of being complete...

This is a bill that's still in a status of "in committee", there's still 4 more steps before it would become law.

You have to keep in mind, the lower house of any legislature is going to have a few "odd balls" in it (especially state legislatures), and most bills die in the "referred to committee" phase like this one is currently in.

It's doubtful that an Assembly member's bill (and one who represents a few smaller neighborhoods in Brooklyn, where nobody has lawns to mow for the most part) to ban gas mowers would get the stamp of approval from fellow assembly members in other parts of the state where they actually have lawns.

It's worth noting that this assembly member has a track record of proposing some bills seen as "odd"... like the bill that tried to cap weekly gambling to 5,000 dollars (you can guess how the Casinos and high rollers in NY reacted to that one -- and how would they even enforce it? With a Casino registry where you have to swipe your drivers license before every slot machine pull?), and proposed a bill for a "Helicopter Noise Tax" (from what I'm reading, neither of which made it out of committee)

If I were a New Yorker, I wouldn't be terribly worried about this one.

So I guess the question becomes, why are NYers putting people like this into office???? That is what I would be worried about.

CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN · Jan 27, 2026

Gas pollutes everything, especially in a very populated city.. I have a electric weed eater. That I'm not complaining about.

CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN · Jan 27, 2026

SavedByGrace3 said:
So I guess the question becomes, why are NYers putting people like this into office???? That is what I would be worried about.

I'm in California. Because we want better health care and a better environment.

Tuur · Jan 27, 2026

CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN said:
Gas pollutes everything, especially in a very populated city.. I have a electric weed eater. That I'm not complaining about.

My guess is that you don't have two acres to cut. I do. Electric is not a viable option for that; it doesn't hold out.

Tuur · Jan 27, 2026

CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN said:
I'm in California. Because we want better health care and a better environment.

Wanting something and achieving it are two different things.

ThatRobGuy · Jan 27, 2026

SavedByGrace3 said:
So I guess the question becomes, why are NYers putting people like this into office???? That is what I would be worried about.

When it comes to state assemblies and the state level legislature, most people don't vote in those elections, and I'd venture a guess that most don't even know who their state-level rep is.

State house elections are notorious for uncontested seats and extremely low voter engagement. (especially in off-cycle years when they don't get the benefit of being down-ballot from more noteworthy elections)

Tropical Wilds · Jan 27, 2026

Of all the things keeping me awake at night, gas or electric mowers isn’t it.

Hans Blaster · Jan 27, 2026

Tuur said:
My guess is that you don't have two acres to cut. I do. Electric is not a viable option for that; it doesn't hold out.

With a weed trimmer? You should get a better method for 2 acres.

iluvatar5150 · Jan 27, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
Well, just for the sake of being complete...

This is a bill that's still in a status of "in committee", there's still 4 more steps before it would become law.

You have to keep in mind, the lower house of any legislature is going to have a few "odd balls" in it (especially state legislatures), and most bills die in the "referred to committee" phase like this one is currently in.

It's doubtful that an Assembly member's bill (and one who represents a few smaller neighborhoods in Brooklyn, where nobody has lawns to mow for the most part) to ban gas mowers would get the stamp of approval from fellow assembly members in other parts of the state where they actually have lawns.

It's worth noting that this assembly member has a track record of proposing some bills seen as "odd"... like the bill that tried to cap weekly gambling to 5,000 dollars (you can guess how the Casinos and high rollers in NY reacted to that one -- and how would they even enforce it? With a Casino registry where you have to swipe your drivers license before every slot machine pull?), and proposed a bill for a "Helicopter Noise Tax" (from what I'm reading, neither of which made it out of committee)

If I were a New Yorker, I wouldn't be terribly worried about this one.

The casino registry ought to be one of the easier things to pull off. Between the move to cards instead of tokens, the surveillance infrastructure for tracking who's who, and the infrastructure for withholding taxes on winnings over a certain amount, a lot of the requirements for a registry like that already exist. I imagine building a statewide database would be more about tying those systems together rather than building them anew.

Regarding the lawnmower rule, this would be fine for any area with the density greater than or equal to a typical suburb or upstate town. For a normal lawn, electric mowers are more than adequate, far quieter, and safer to store. I wouldn't be surprised if the long-term running costs were cheaper, too, given that batteries will typically last a couple years.

Some friends are telling me that battery powered snowblowers are viable now, too. I'm a bit more skeptical of that, but who knows.

ThatRobGuy · Jan 27, 2026

iluvatar5150 said:
The casino registry ought to be one of the easier things to pull off. Between the move to cards instead of tokens, the surveillance infrastructure for tracking who's who, and the infrastructure for withholding taxes on winnings over a certain amount, a lot of the requirements for a registry like that already exist. I imagine building a statewide database would be more about tying those systems together rather than building them anew.

Regarding the lawnmower rule, this would be fine for any area with the density greater than or equal to a typical suburb or upstate town. For a normal lawn, electric mowers are more than adequate, far quieter, and safer to store. I wouldn't be surprised if the long-term running costs were cheaper, too, given that batteries will typically last a couple years.

Some friends are telling me that battery powered snowblowers are viable now, too. I'm a bit more skeptical of that, but who knows.

for little lawns they may work...but when I've seen the vast rolling acreage that people in the upstate region have, I can't imagine any of the reps from that part of the state would be on-board with it.

I take the upstate corridor on i-90 from Buffalo to Syracuse (then north up to Watertown) when I make trips up to the Canadian cabin... there's huge stretches up there where it seems like everyone has 5+ acres by the looks of it, and from what I'm seeing, the majority of battery power mowers can handle about 1/4 of an acre before needing a recharge.

John Deer started making those Z-track riding mowers that are electric and can do 1-2 acres per charge....if you've got $6800 bucks to buy one and a 220 quick charge line installed lol...otherwise, the front of your property will be ready to mow again by the time you've taken 3 charge breaks to finish the back.

iluvatar5150 · Jan 27, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
for little lawns they may work...but when I've seen the vast rolling acreage that people in the upstate region have, I can't imagine any of the reps from that part of the state would be on-board with it.

I take the upstate corridor on i-90 from Buffalo to Syracuse (then north up to Watertown) when I make trips up to the Canadian cabin... there's huge stretches up there where it seems like everyone has 5+ acres by the looks of it, and from what I'm seeing, the majority of battery power mowers can handle about 1/4 of an acre before needing a recharge.

That's what you see from the highway; and aside from a few brief stretches in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Watertown, 90 and 81 are well outside of town. In town, the yards are all pretty normal.

John Deer started making those Z-track riding mowers that are electric and can do 1-2 acres per charge....if you've got $6800 bucks to buy one and a 220 quick charge line installed lol...otherwise, the front of your property will be ready to mow again by the time you've taken 3 charge breaks to finish the back.

The way to do it is to have multiple batteries that you can swap in and out. And really, this is how the tool mfg's get ya. Having their entire tool lineup use the same batteries is a good way to build / lock you into brand loyalty. After all, if I have their mower, then I may as well get their leaf blower, and their string trimmer, oh and their portable vaccuum, and it's father's day so there's a sale where I can buy cordless circular saw, impact driver and drill with two free batteries, aaaaaand..... now my basement is all Dewalt yellow.

It's not uncommon for guys to shop around for the brand does the best at whichever specialty tool they need and then fill out the rest of their kit with the same brand.

Tuur · Jan 27, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
With a weed trimmer? You should get a better method for 2 acres.

Don’t laugh; I’ve been in the situation of mowing a lawn with a string trimmer before. Not fun doesn’t begin to cover it.

Be that as it may, electric riding mowers won’t hold out on a single charge and additional batteries of that size are expensive. Electic push mower lasts about half an hour, just long enough for me to do the trimming.

Landon Caeli · Jan 27, 2026

Are politicians not thinking it through..? Or is it that rural Americans, with large lawns, are probably liberty-loving Republicans anyways, so who cares...

It's as if children are writing the laws.

Landon Caeli · Jan 27, 2026

Tropical Wilds said:
Of all the things keeping me awake at night, gas or electric mowers isn’t it.

Oh, I know... You'll probably sleep better at night, if rural Americans from "fly over country" are disadvantaged a little bit.

Tropical Wilds · Jan 27, 2026

iluvatar5150 said:
aaaaaand..... now my basement is all Dewalt yellow.

Same for me but Makita is my brand, lol.

Landon Caeli · Jan 27, 2026

Tropical Wilds said:
Same for me but Makita is my brand, lol.

Milwaukee is better.

Hans Blaster · Jan 27, 2026

Landon Caeli said:
Oh, I know... You'll probably sleep better at night, if rural Americans from "fly over country" are disadvantaged a little bit.

Oh, come on. You live in California.

Landon Caeli · Jan 27, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
Oh, come on. You live in California.

Yeah, but I'm not staying here forever. Besides, California is mostly rural.

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No mo' mowers and yo' leaf blowers...

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