Committee hears hours of testimony on bill to bar municipal fuel-type bans for landscaping equipment

PROVIDENCE — The House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing on Tuesday heard extended testimony on H 7150, a bill that would stop cities and towns from banning powered landscaping equipment based solely on fuel type while preserving local rules on noise, hours of operation and public safety.

Representative Matthew Paplauskas, sponsor of H 7150, told the committee the measure would "prevent municipalities from banning equipment solely based on fuel type" but would not "weaken local authority. It explicitly preserves it." He said the bill aims to avoid sudden, costly mandates that could fall hardest on small businesses and municipal fleets.

"If the problem is excessive noise, regulate noise; if the problem is hours of operation, regulate hours; if the problem is unsafe use, enforce safety," Paplauskas said. "This bill does not tell anyone what they should use. It simply says government shouldn't tell everyone what they must use."

Industry witnesses urged the committee to reject preemption. Mark Parry, who identified himself with Get County Lawnmower in West Warwick, described battery-run limitations for commercial backpack blowers and cited operational and safety concerns. He told the panel that commercially viable electric backpack blowers deliver about "25 minutes" of full-power run time on a set of batteries and said conversions would require large capital outlays; he said a complete commercial charging and battery system could amount to tens of thousands of dollars per crew member as described in his testimony.

"If battery powered blowers were good, we wouldn't be here," Parry said. "They've came a long way ... but they don't work for everyone." He also raised cold-weather charging problems, saying batteries may not charge reliably below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and warned of hazards from transporting large numbers of lithium-ion batteries.

Other industry witnesses, including Ethan Hathaway of Hathaway's Landscaping and James Pagliarini of the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association, stressed the practical impacts on small firms and on larger landscape operations and farms. Hathaway said electric equipment can be "just as loud, if not louder" and that heavier batteries and limited run time could slow work and raise costs for customers, potentially forcing layoffs or business closures.

Opponents of the bill included residents and public-health advocates who said commercial electric options already exist and that cleaner equipment reduces both noise impacts and health risks. Lisonbee Lipton, of Quiet Clean Rhode Island, said her group's research and local commercial electric operators demonstrate that quieter, cleaner landscaping services are viable and improving. She urged state support to smooth transitions rather than blocking local efforts to regulate fuel-type bans.

"Cleaner, quieter commercial landscaping equipment that is sufficient for the job exists and is constantly improving," Lipton said, and she called for state and local measures to help workers and small businesses navigate a shift to cleaner tools.

Committee members asked sponsors and witnesses technical questions about the number of municipalities that have enacted limits (sponsor named Providence as an example) and about alternative regulatory approaches, including time-of-day rules, safety requirements and use of personal protective equipment on worksites. Representative Speakman pressed on whether the bill would amount to a statewide ban; sponsors said the bill would preserve municipal power over noise, hours and safety while removing fuel-type bans.

The committee did not take a final vote on H 7150 at the meeting; the hearing was closed after witness testimony and exchanges with members. The committee adjourned at the end of the session.

What happens next: Because the committee closed the hearing without passage, H 7150 remains pending; any next step — a committee vote to report the bill out or further study — would be scheduled in a future committee meeting.