Los Angeles Times Sept. 26, 2003

SACRAMENTO--The California Air Resource Board adopted new regulations Thursday to curb pollution from lawn mowers, chain saws and leaf blowers, setting the stage for a showdown with congress over regulatory authority...

Noting that some of this equipment contribute as much to the smog formation as automobiles, the Air Resources Board unanimously approved regulations that would slash emissions from lawn-care equipment by 35% over the next 17 years.

Such little machines seem like bit players in the smog smog wars, but 14 MILLION of them are in use in California, and their exhaust and leaky fuel tanks and hoses emit 152 TONS of smog forming fumes DAILY. It would take a 200 mile trip in a 1997 model automobile to match the air pollution produced by a single lawnmower operating for two hours, according to the air board.