Gas-powered leaf blowers are a health hazard and a nuisance to their communities. Just 30 minutes of using a leaf blower generates the same amount of pollution as driving a Ford F-150 Raptor truck from Texas to Alaska (1). These machines generate excessive amounts of noise, disturbing entire neighborhoods as they can be heard up to 800 ft away (2). They blow dust and debris into surrounding areas, creating new messes instead of cleaning the original area. Their decibel levels are high enough to damage the hearing of the operator and anyone in the immediate area (3).

Alternative tools currently exist for use of leaf removal, including rakes, shovels, and push leaf sweepers. We do not need to reinvent the wheel to eliminate gas-powered leaf blowers from personal and commercial use. 

This petition calls on New York legislators to follow Washington DC's lead (4) and ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in our state.