One step closer to zero emission power equipment

[Skagit]

I kept watching for new information after I first heard about this legislation. I was hoping there was some sanity in it and it would be applied to metropolitan areas and not state line to line or coast. But my hopes were in vain. Also scary is that I live in WA. I can imagine the wheels spinning in OR Gov Brown's head or WA Gov Inslee's as to which will be the first to copy CA as often happens.

My DW and I live in remote forest. There are many like us, even in CA. Force me to use an electric chain saw in the woods? That's nuts. And what are logging companies going to do? Even the power companies maintaining their lines with battery saws?

And we are even a bit more extreme as we are off grid and not by choice as there are NO utilities for miles. We power via solar with no problem for 9 months of the year and a generator to charge batteries during the winter. There will be no power lines as there aren't enough customers. The future is going to be quite interesting.

I'm in almost exactly the same boat you are, we live in WA and have 30 acres of forestland. Off grid with solar and a generator, nearest utilities are a mile away but it's a rock hillside so it's not realistic to run power. These people want to end our way of life even though we do more for and care more about the environment than they do.

When they're not trying to ban small gas engines they're trying to ban new construction with gas or propane which is the only thing that makes living off grid possible.

Sent from my XP8800 using TractorByNet mobile app

 

[JRH02]

Explain like I'm an idiot, why don't we have a DPF-style box on the small engines that can reduce emissions?

Mr. Administrator, there are no diesel chain saws that I own.

 

[JRH02]

I'm in almost exactly the same boat you are, we live in WA and have 30 acres of forestland. Off grid with solar and a generator, nearest utilities are a mile away but it's a rock hillside so it's not realistic to run power. These people want to end our way of life even though we do more for and care more about the environment than they do.

When they're not trying to ban small gas engines they're trying to ban new construction with gas or propane which is the only thing that makes living off grid possible.

Sent from my XP8800 using TractorByNet mobile app

I have gotten rude answers: "If its so hard you need to move." Its not that at all. It's not hard at all (for us). What is hard are the changing rules that are all about rural living. We are just fine, thank you.

Mr Skagit, obviously not pointed to you.

 

[Muhammad]

Mr. Administrator, there are no diesel chain saws that I own.

Okay let's call it a GPF then?

 

[LouNY]

Heat and complexity as well as a place to put converters and such.
Plus carburation wouldn't work well with, not precise enough.
And many of those type items are not run for long periods of time
to get any converters hot enough without burning out when used for long periods of time

 

[ultrarunner]

What are loggers and commercial woodcutters going to do? I guess buy chainsaws out of state?

Maybe unless you live in a jurisdiction that has gone further and outright banned use as in even starting to test...

The local mower shops are in a bind because starting a blower or trimmer is breaking the law....

 

[LouNY]

And I thought New York State was bad,
I just hope the idiots don't try and copy your area again.

 

[PuffyC]

What are loggers and commercial woodcutters going to do? I guess buy chainsaws out of state?

The law only bans the sale of new gas equipment, meaning you can keep using whatever you got until it dies. The law also doesn't go into effect January 2024 "or as soon as regulators determine is feasible, whichever date is later" so depending on how you define "feasible" it could be a very long time before anything real actually happens. I'm guessing the thinking is that by then electrics will be viable in virtually all scenarios, plus they're offering money to offset the cost of new equipment. And they can always amend it in December 2023 to exempt whichever industries donate enough money to the governors re-election campaign.

As to why, they say that running a gas blower one hour emits as much pollution as driving a Camry 1,000 miles. Considering how clean today's cars are that wouldn't be too surprising but it still sounds a little sketchy. I'd like to see the testing methodology for that.

 

[tomplum]

Explain like I'm an idiot, why don't we have a DPF-style box on the small engines that can reduce emissions?

OPE has gone through several mandated emissions periods over the years. Some have catalytic converters, carbon canisters due to California emissions. There is a lot of emotion apparently over the impending changes coming our way.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Spent the day out on the almost 4 miles of trails I have here; used a Makita 36 volt cordless chain saw, pole saw, weed whacker, blower, and a hedge trimmer for the briars. Never fired up a gas engine. Imagine that 10 years ago...