A lack of serious enforcement has given new ammunition to those who want to revisit the on again, off again rules against these noisy and polluting machines.
Using a two-stroke engine is like heating your house with an open pit fire in the living room—and chopping down your trees to keep it going, and trying to whoosh away the fetid black smoke before your children are poisoned by it.
But these machines persist in American landscaping because they are cheap. And because—to be brutally honest—the people paying the greatest price in much of suburban American are the hired lawn-crew workers.
Those workers are convenient to hire, at the moment. But they are not likely to be in the neighborhood 10 or 15 years from now, when they are deafened, or have lung disease, or need other forms of care as the worst long-term health consequences kick in." Jim Fallows quote
In three days gas powered leaf blowers will be banned for the next three months according to Croton law. There is a growing push for serious enforcement. That means more landscapers are finding alternatives of various kinds, including electric leaf blowers but not just that. Changes in attitudes about aesthetics in landscaping need to change as well. The days of the gas powered leaf blower are numbered, despite the insistence of those who think that spreading noise and pollution around the neighborhood is their God-given right.
NYS has a bill that would provide rebates for landscapers to purchase battery equipment. It has passed the Senate and is now in the Assembly. If passed the excuse that upfront costs are too much would be eliminated. Today's battery blowers are as powerful and in some cases more powerful than gas and equal in work production. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2657
Thank you, I know that bills outright banning the machines have not succeeded in New York, perhaps this is an approach that will. I will follow this one.
Call Pretlow's office. He is head of the Ways and Means Committee where the bill sits. He is also a Westchester guy representing Yonkers and Mt. Vernon. Tell him to get the bill to a vote and out of committee ASAP. 914-667-0127
Thanks for this contact. As a journalist, I will have to leave it to others to actively lobby legislators for this bill, although the Chronicle can certainly editorialize in favor of it. Do you live in Croton? If so, please contact us at TheCrotonChronicle@gmail.com for further discussion. Thanks.
I was against restricting the use of gas powered leaf blowers mainly because at 68 I am the one keeping my property clean of leaves and debris. Even with a small property , a rake just won't do it for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my family's quality of outdoor life significantly improved after the partial ban went into effect I purchased a small electric blower for use during the ban and only use my gas blower for major cleanups before the summer and after storms. I expect that there will be a complete ban at some point but for now this is working for me. More aggressive enforcement of the current rules will relieve a lot of the frustration in the community before moving to the next step, whatever that might be. I also agree that the village should lead by example.
How about banning all small gasoline engine devices. Snow blowers, chain saws, etc all fit the bill! I would love to see municipal employees and contractors using a snow shovel. We should also figure out the main issue. Is it the environment?, the noise? or the inclination of the big government pols to control every aspect of our lives?
Of all the antisocial things wealthy homeowners do out here in the wealthy burbs, generators have to be among the top-10 most sinister. It's essentially paying thousands of dollars to (unsustainably) unplug from the common infrastructure of your community because of potential inconvenience. The bright side I guess is that they're supporting some trans-national corporation that is probably exploiting cheaper labor in another country and maybe our 401k has a position on the company and so . . .
No, I'm agnostoc on the issue and don't really have a viewpoint. I pay a landscaper to do my yard and depend on them to follow the law. But I like to hear both sides of an issue. If I had to choose, I would say individual rights on my own property should prevail - but there are times when the individual should bow for the greater good. Is this such a time? How would I know unless I hear the arguments both for and against.
Giving “both sides of the story” was not the purpose of this particular article. But I suspect that as the comments come in you will see some of the opposing views. Also, I don’t know how long you have lived in Croton, but during the long period leading up to the current law, there were multiple public hearings, submission of lengthy position papers, and other public forms of debate. The issue got a major public airing. Nevertheless, if anyone wants to submit a Guest Editorial laying out the general arguments against leaf blowers bans, including here in Croton, they are welcome to get in touch at TheCrotonChronicle@gmail.com to propose their idea.
Since you asked, I have lived in Croton since 1960. I remember the discussion, but not the details. Until now it has seemed that the Chronicle was an unbiased source of information. That was not the case with this article.
The Chronicle very often runs editorials and guest editorials, so I’m not quite sure of the basis for what you’re saying. But we make clear the distinction. Thank you for reading it.
Croton property owners have overlords? This sounds un-American and we hope The Chronicle covers this ASAP! Also, it's been a long time since we attended a fine public school here in northern Westchester but we seem to recall learning that, under many instances of feudalism, land-owning nobles had to pay tax to their king or other potentate. Do we have that wrong and is that what's being implied here--that the resident nobles (people wealthy enough to own property) should not have to pay tax on their lands? Maybe we could make it so only ones wealthy enough to hire crews of not-so-well-off workers (who perhaps occupy rental properties in less wealthy municipalities) to maintain their lands with gas-powered blowers get freed from property tax and can become truly empowered citizens! #stopfeudalism, right?
I long for the days of push mowers and rakes.
https://www.leaveleavesalone.org/
https://www.publicinterestnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Lawn_Care_Goes_Electric_Oct23.pdf
"
Using a two-stroke engine is like heating your house with an open pit fire in the living room—and chopping down your trees to keep it going, and trying to whoosh away the fetid black smoke before your children are poisoned by it.
But these machines persist in American landscaping because they are cheap. And because—to be brutally honest—the people paying the greatest price in much of suburban American are the hired lawn-crew workers.
Those workers are convenient to hire, at the moment. But they are not likely to be in the neighborhood 10 or 15 years from now, when they are deafened, or have lung disease, or need other forms of care as the worst long-term health consequences kick in." Jim Fallows quote
In three days gas powered leaf blowers will be banned for the next three months according to Croton law. There is a growing push for serious enforcement. That means more landscapers are finding alternatives of various kinds, including electric leaf blowers but not just that. Changes in attitudes about aesthetics in landscaping need to change as well. The days of the gas powered leaf blower are numbered, despite the insistence of those who think that spreading noise and pollution around the neighborhood is their God-given right.
NYS has a bill that would provide rebates for landscapers to purchase battery equipment. It has passed the Senate and is now in the Assembly. If passed the excuse that upfront costs are too much would be eliminated. Today's battery blowers are as powerful and in some cases more powerful than gas and equal in work production. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2657
Thank you, I know that bills outright banning the machines have not succeeded in New York, perhaps this is an approach that will. I will follow this one.
Call Pretlow's office. He is head of the Ways and Means Committee where the bill sits. He is also a Westchester guy representing Yonkers and Mt. Vernon. Tell him to get the bill to a vote and out of committee ASAP. 914-667-0127
Thanks for this contact. As a journalist, I will have to leave it to others to actively lobby legislators for this bill, although the Chronicle can certainly editorialize in favor of it. Do you live in Croton? If so, please contact us at TheCrotonChronicle@gmail.com for further discussion. Thanks.
I was against restricting the use of gas powered leaf blowers mainly because at 68 I am the one keeping my property clean of leaves and debris. Even with a small property , a rake just won't do it for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my family's quality of outdoor life significantly improved after the partial ban went into effect I purchased a small electric blower for use during the ban and only use my gas blower for major cleanups before the summer and after storms. I expect that there will be a complete ban at some point but for now this is working for me. More aggressive enforcement of the current rules will relieve a lot of the frustration in the community before moving to the next step, whatever that might be. I also agree that the village should lead by example.
How about banning all small gasoline engine devices. Snow blowers, chain saws, etc all fit the bill! I would love to see municipal employees and contractors using a snow shovel. We should also figure out the main issue. Is it the environment?, the noise? or the inclination of the big government pols to control every aspect of our lives?
It’s all very Stalinesque if you ask me.
Use an electric leaf blower connected to a gas powered generator. Become ungovernable.
Of all the antisocial things wealthy homeowners do out here in the wealthy burbs, generators have to be among the top-10 most sinister. It's essentially paying thousands of dollars to (unsustainably) unplug from the common infrastructure of your community because of potential inconvenience. The bright side I guess is that they're supporting some trans-national corporation that is probably exploiting cheaper labor in another country and maybe our 401k has a position on the company and so . . .
“My property, my choice.”
Can you keep the noise and emissions from your leaf blower restricted just to your property?
(So long as one doesn't think one's body is one's property.)
I'm disappointed that you coud not search out an opposing viewpoint. Pesenting only one side of the story is a disservice to your readers.
The piece was intended to a large extent as a commentary. You are in the comment section please feel free to give an opposing view if you want to.
No, I'm agnostoc on the issue and don't really have a viewpoint. I pay a landscaper to do my yard and depend on them to follow the law. But I like to hear both sides of an issue. If I had to choose, I would say individual rights on my own property should prevail - but there are times when the individual should bow for the greater good. Is this such a time? How would I know unless I hear the arguments both for and against.
Giving “both sides of the story” was not the purpose of this particular article. But I suspect that as the comments come in you will see some of the opposing views. Also, I don’t know how long you have lived in Croton, but during the long period leading up to the current law, there were multiple public hearings, submission of lengthy position papers, and other public forms of debate. The issue got a major public airing. Nevertheless, if anyone wants to submit a Guest Editorial laying out the general arguments against leaf blowers bans, including here in Croton, they are welcome to get in touch at TheCrotonChronicle@gmail.com to propose their idea.
Since you asked, I have lived in Croton since 1960. I remember the discussion, but not the details. Until now it has seemed that the Chronicle was an unbiased source of information. That was not the case with this article.
The Chronicle very often runs editorials and guest editorials, so I’m not quite sure of the basis for what you’re saying. But we make clear the distinction. Thank you for reading it.
Nobody owns their property; we have to pay our overlords a tax to live on the piece of land in the structure we reside. Welcome back to feudalism.
Croton property owners have overlords? This sounds un-American and we hope The Chronicle covers this ASAP! Also, it's been a long time since we attended a fine public school here in northern Westchester but we seem to recall learning that, under many instances of feudalism, land-owning nobles had to pay tax to their king or other potentate. Do we have that wrong and is that what's being implied here--that the resident nobles (people wealthy enough to own property) should not have to pay tax on their lands? Maybe we could make it so only ones wealthy enough to hire crews of not-so-well-off workers (who perhaps occupy rental properties in less wealthy municipalities) to maintain their lands with gas-powered blowers get freed from property tax and can become truly empowered citizens! #stopfeudalism, right?