Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association Fighting California Assembly Bill 1346
The Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association (PGMA) is requesting that an exemption for portable generators be included in the air-pollution proposal before the California Legislature (Assembly Bill 1346) that would prohibit emissions from small off-road engine equipment, including portable generators.
The bill, which would compel the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt regulations by July 1, 2022, is primarily intended to promote the use of battery-operated lawn and garden equipment, but would also result in banning the sale of portable generators in the state as soon as 2024, the association reports.
“No matter how well-intentioned this bill might be, it makes a critical error in equating portable generators with other small off-road engine equipment,” says Joseph Harding, technical director of PGMA. “The use of other small off-road engine equipment is often discretionary and planned. But when someone turns to a portable generator, it’s out of necessity. It’s to sustain life – keep food from spoiling, keep water available, to maintain communication with the outside world, even keep vital medical equipment operating. Nothing else meets the affordability of a portable generator when it comes to performing those critical functions in crisis conditions. Banning California residents from purchasing and possessing portable generators will surely lead to loss of life.”
PGMA has formally requested that the bill’s author exempt portable generators in AB 1346. It has established a website – www.StayPoweredCalifornia.org – to garner support for the exemption.
PORTABLE GENERATOR MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION
www.pgmaonline.com
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