A bill that would prevent Georgia cities and counties from banning gas-powered leaf blowers passed the state Senate on Monday with bipartisan support after the proposal was amended to include a sunset clause.

Prior to the 37-16 vote, the bill’s lead sponsor, state Sen. Shawn Still, R-Johns Creek, said the bill was needed to protect gas-powered blowers because battery-powered electric blowers do not last long enough to meet the needs of landscape professionals and residents.

He also pushed back on criticism that Senate Bill 145 would preempt local control, saying schools, hospitals, businesses and homeowners associations would still be free to choose gas- or battery-powered blowers.

“What this bill does do, it prevents entire cities and counties from banning gas-powered units because the technology between gas and electric are not equal,” Still said. “This bill exactly gives local control to each individual homeowner to decide what they’re going to do in their own yard.”

The bill includes a June 30, 2031, sunset clause introduced by Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, who still voted against the bill.

“Let’s keep in mind that there are harmful air impacts and harmful noise impacts” from gas-powered leaf blowers, Parent said.

Several local governments, such as the cities of Atlanta and Decatur, have explored ways to regulate gas-powered leaf blowers in recent years based on concerns over noise and air pollution, but those efforts appear to have stalled out.

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