May 19, 2025
Mayor Alyia Gaskins Vice Mayer Sarah Bagley Councilman Canek Aguirre Councilman John Chapman
Councilman Abdel-Rahman Elnoubi Councilwoman Jacinta E. Greene Councilman R. Kirk McPike Cc’ eco-cityalexandria@alexandriava.gov Transmitted via electronic submission Re: OPEI Testimony in Opposition to Alexandria, VA Proposed Gas-Powered Leaf Blower Ban The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (“OPEI”) opposes Alexandria’s proposed gas- powered leaf blower ban which will negatively impact OPEI members and hardworking professionals throughout the city. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (“OPEI”) is an Alexandria-based international trade association representing more than 100 manufacturers and their suppliers of both gas- and electric-powered outdoor power equipment. OPEI member products are ubiquitous in American households and businesses. Outdoor power equipment such as lawnmowers, trimmers, chain saws, leaf blowers and generators are the lifeblood of millions of hardworking landscape and construction professionals, many of whom are sole proprietors, and emergency responders. See Annex A – Outdoor Power Equipment Facts. The outdoor power equipment industry is a leader in the deployment of electric equipment, with electric products dating back more than 70 years. Recent advancements in battery technology have accelerated electric product growth for many categories. In fact, the majority of “handheld” products shipped are already electric powered. Electric “handheld” leaf blowers represented approximately 80% of all product shipments in 2024. Based on these facts, Alexandria’s proposed gas-powered blower ban is unnecessary. However, due to the wide range of lawn and garden equipment types and user / use cases, there is no one-size-fits-all power-source approach . Landscape and construction professionals, parks and recreation departments, and emergency response workers, often require hours of performance and runtime per day. Trade-offs between different
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