Small Off-road Engines, Watercraft, etc.

I was looking into the pollution associated with lawn mowers, ie:

Gallon for gallon — or, given the size of lawnmower tanks, quart for quart — the 2006 lawn mower engines contribute 93 times more smog-forming emissions than 2006 cars, according to the California Air Resources Board. (New York Times)

(Lawn mowing causes app. 5% of the greenhouse gases created in the summer...)

...and ended up finding out about some other things along the way. Like Chain saws:

Using a commercial chain saw—powered by a two-stroke engine—for two hours produces the same amount of smogforming hydrocarbon emissions as driving ten 1995 cars about 250 miles each. (California Air Resources Board)

One thing I noticed was that recreational watercraft was about equal to lawn and garden equipment when it came to overall release of VOC - volatile organic compounds.

Of course the lawn and garden equipment manufacturers and the power boat dealers/manufacturers have been working against any regulations. California has been working on regulating all of these sorts of things for awhile, various regulations in the 90s, for instance.

This from the EPA about regs that were supposed to start in 2006:

You Can Make a Difference In Preventing Marine Engine Pollution

Over 10 million marine engines are operated in the United States. These marine engines are among the highest contributors of hydrocarbons (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions in many areas of the country. HC and NOx produce ground-level ozone, which irritates the respiratory system causing chest pain and lung inflammation. Ozone can also aggravate existing respiratory conditions such as asthma. Boaters can join many others who are working to make a difference in preventing pollution from marine engines...

But the new proposed regulations may be taking it all more seriously...

I saw this posted at greencarcongress.com from last April - about the EPA's proposal ....Small Engine Rule to Bring Big Emissions Cuts

The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new, more stringent exhaust emissions rules for the small spark-ignition engines in lawn and garden equipment and small recreational watercraft.

The engines and vehicles covered by this proposal are significant sources of air pollution. They account for about 25% of mobile source hydrocarbon (HC) emissions and 30% of mobile source carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.

Americans spend more than three billion hours per year using lawn and garden equipment. Currently, a push mower emits as much hourly pollution as 11 cars and a riding mower emits as much as 34 cars.

To meet the new exhaust emission standards, manufacturers are expected to use catalytic converters for the first time ever in many types of small watercraft, lawn, and garden equipment. After rigorous analysis and extensive work with diverse stakeholders, EPA determined that such a strategy was feasible and safe.

These proposed rules also include the first ever:

Fuel evaporative standards for all the types of equipment and watercraft covered in the rulemaking;

Standards for vessels powered by sterndrive or inboard engines; and

Carbon monoxide standards for gasoline-powered engines used in recreational watercraft.

With these proposed rules, nonroad gasoline-powered engines, such as those used in lawn and garden equipment, would see an additional 35% reduction in HC and NOx emissions beyond a 60% reduction that finished phasing in last year under an earlier rulemaking. Those engines would also see a 45% reduction in fuel evaporative emissions.

Additionally, recreational watercraft can emit as much as 348 cars in an hour. By 2030, recreational watercraft powered by gasoline engines would see a 70% reduction in smog-forming HC and NOx, a 20% reduction in CO, and a 70% reduction in fuel evaporative emissions.

Recreational waste that includes power boats, over-fertilized golf courses and the like - could not wither and die soon enough, AFAIC. I expect it will come at great wailing and "misery" to some to give up recreational waste - but that seems like one of the easier ways to cut down on greenhouse gases. It's not as complicated as recreating our towns and cities so we could do without cars, for instance.

People will find their way back to more sustainable activities. Sailing, canoeing, hiking, gardening might seem like a hardship to some. To me - those are the activities I have always liked, anyway. Being around loud, smelly engines has always been something to suffer through.