At a workshop on Tuesday the South Portland City Council will discuss a proposed ordinance that would eventually prohibit the use of certain gas-fueled lawn equipment powered by two-stroke engines, a move city officials say will help reduce carbon emissions and air pollution.

The ordinance, initially proposed for a workshop by the city’s Sustainability Department in March 2023, would place a citywide ban on the use of gas-powered two-stroke leaf blowers starting one year from its passage.

A prohibition on a wide array of other two-stroke engine lawn equipment, including string trimmers, edgers, hedge trimmers and lawn mowers would come into effect two years from the passage of the ordinance.

As proposed by the Sustainability Office, it would be the duty of the South Portland Code Enforcement Officer to enforce the ordinance — first with a letter of warning, and then with civil penalties that would increase with subsequent violations.

Under the proposed ordinance, a second violation would result in a fine of $200, a third by a fine of $500, and any subsequent violation by a fine of $1,000.

In a memo to the South Portland City Manager, Mayor and City Councilors, the Sustainability Office wrote that the ordinance would help meet the city’s commitment to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

“In addition to reducing carbon emissions, phasing out the use of two-stroke gas-powered landcare equipment will aid in achieving the One Climate Future goals of enhancing ecosystem resilience and improving soil health by reducing the quantity of harmful pollutants that impact the air, soil, and water,” wrote city staff in the memo.

“Gas-powered landcare equipment is detrimental to the community and the environment,” staff wrote. “This type of equipment generates loud noises which are disruptive to residents and can result in serious health concerns for operators, such as hearing loss, reduced cognitive performance, heart disease, and hypertension.”

While the ordinance would apply citywide, staff is recommending that commercial landscaping companies and municipal operations initially be exempted from the prohibition, as many of those entities typically use more efficient four-stroke engine equipment.

“The Sustainability Department has heard from both municipal and commercial operations that they are beginning to transition handheld landcare equipment to electric, but neither has the capacity to transition all of this equipment due to limited access to a power supply to charge the batteries while out in the field,” the Sustainability Office staff wrote.

“While the technology for electric commercial landcare equipment is improving, the battery life and cost are prohibitive at this point in time,” they added.

South Portland Sustainability Director Julie Rosenbach will present the proposed ordinance to the City Council at the Tuesday workshop, during which the Council will discuss if they support the pashing out of the two-stroke engine products, and whether they agree with the ordinance as proposed by city staff.