A statewide environmental advocacy group has praised Arlington’s recent decision to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers.
The Quiet Clean Virginia Foundation sees the County Board’s vote on July 18 as a model for other localities across the state.
“The vote reflects a growing understanding that protecting public health also means protecting the everyday sounds and experiences that make neighborhoods thrive,” the Quiet Clean Virginia Foundation said in a statement.
Quiet Clean Virginia’s local affiliate, Quiet Clean Northern Virginia, was a prime advocate for the phase-out, working to lobby the Board in conjunction with the Sierra Club’s Potomac River Group, EcoAction Arlington and the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions Arlington Hub.
County Board members set Jan. 1, 2029, as the deadline for transitioning to other types of leaf blowers. Arlington is the first Virginia county, and second locality after Alexandria, to approve a phase-out.
Advocates did not come away with everything they sought. The 29-month phase-out period was longer than the 18 months that the environmental groups and a number of county advisory panels sought.
But Margaret McKelvey, a board member of the Quiet Clean Virginia Foundation, said the vote sent the right signal to other communities.
“These regulations are an investment in public health, quality of life, and the shared spaces that unite and strengthen communities,” she said.
The 29-month phase-out was less than the 36 months recommended by county staff, which had voiced concern about an excessively short implementation period drawing legal challenges. The General Assembly has never given localities explicit permission to regulate leaf blowers; Arlington and Alexandria instead relied on a legal opinion issued by former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
In part to blunt the potential of lawsuits, some advocates had asked the county government to provide financial support to smaller firms that might have more difficulty in funding the purchase of electric leaf blowers in time for the transition.
That idea died after County Attorney Ryan Samuel said the local government couldn’t use a firm’s size to determine whether to provide aid.
While Arlington and Alexandria are the only Virginia jurisdictions to have implemented a phasing out of leaf blowers, regulations have been passed by local governments in Montgomery County, Baltimore, Chevy Chase, Annapolis and D.C.
