U.S. Will Cut Emissions From Lawn Mowers and Motor Boats

After years of delay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued tougher pollution limits for lawn mowers, weed trimmers, motor boats, and other small engines. EPA estimates that its new rules, which take effect in 2010 and 2011, will eliminate millions of tons of smog-producing pollution and greenhouse gases, preventing 300 premature deaths a year and producing public health benefits valued at between $1.6 billion and $4.4 billion annually by 2030. Because they lack catalytic converters, riding mowers currently emit 34 times as much pollution per hour as cars. The revamped engines will also be more fuel-efficient. California adopted similar requirements several years ago, but Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., sponsored legislation blocking other states from following suit. EPA’s action, delayed for three years, comes after small-engine manufacturers agreed they could meet the standards. The move, said one environmental activist, will mean “less summertime smog and healthier air for millions of kids.”