Lewes ordinance will ban gas-powered landscaping equipment
In an effort to limit air and noise pollution, Lewes Mayor and City Council unanimously voted to ban all handheld gas-powered landscaping equipment by Dec. 31, 2025.
Under the adopted ordinance, the city expects residents and landscaping companies to move to battery or electric tools. The expectation is that equipment will be replaced by Dec. 31, 2022, with the exception of leaf blowers, string trimmers and chainsaws. Those three pieces will then be fully banned at the end of 2025. Lawn mowers are fully exempt from the ordinance.
Councilman Rob Morgan, architect of the ordinance, said the two dates give plenty of notice to businesses and homeowners, and ample time for battery power technology to evolve far enough so it’s feasible to make the transition to green equipment.
Morgan amended his proposed ordinance after hearing comments from several landscaping companies during a public hearing in November. Most of those who spoke said the battery technology for some tools is already sufficient, but most equipment isn’t ready for commercial use. Morgan’s original ordinance proposed a ban for all equipment in 2022. He added the exemption to 2025 for equipment that landscaping companies said was lagging behind.
Deputy Mayor Bonnie Osler suggested the ordinance only apply to the commercial sector, but ultimately went along with the ordinance that applies to all. She requested that council revisit the issue six months before each phase of the ordinance is set to begin so council can determine if the expectations are still reasonable.
Councilman Tim Ritzert said the ordinance sends an important message to the public.
“I think it shows that city council is willing to take a stand and draw a line in the sand,” he said. “It’s showing that we have a concern about this gasoline-powered equipment, and we’d like to move more toward a green community.”
Councilman Andrew Williams agreed. He said by providing two and five years’ notice, people can begin to phase out their gas-powered equipment.
“We have to put it out there that this is something we value as a community,” he said.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
