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Weld County is going green with its groundskeeping, announcing a plan to construct a facility for its new electric lawn and garden equipment. Faced with the need to chip away at pollution levels, officials have opened the door to cleaner air through a shift in how they handle their landscaping tools. The new 4,800-square-foot hub, set to open its doors in 2025, is a direct response to state-mandated air quality improvements, specifically aimed at minimizing contributions to ozone levels.
The county's proactive steps toward electric equipment got a financial boost earlier this month when an intergovernmental handshake with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) coughed up a $200,000 Energy and Mineral Impact grant to cushion the blow to county coffers for the building pegged at $1.25 million, still the switch, while easing the pressure on taxpayers' wallets, it moves Weld County closer to meeting the stringent air quality Regulation 29 set forth by the Air Quality Control Commission. “Air quality is an important component of health, safety and welfare, and this conversion to electric equipment is expected to reduce the negative impact on ozone,” said Kevin Ross, Weld County Commissioner Chair, as obtained by Weld County.
Regulation 29, which bars the use of gas-powered lawn and garden tools during the high-ozone summer months in targeted Colorado areas, has been the catalyst for this infrastructural upgrade. It's an effort underpinned by 2021 computer modeling by the Regional Air Quality Council, which painted a clear picture of the emissions-slicing potential of ditching gas for electric gear. "Switching to small, electric equipment would reduce ozone precursor emissions and eliminate the direct exposure of people using the equipment to gasoline vapors, air toxics, carbon monoxide and particulate matter,” said Dr. Annareli Morales, Air Quality Policy Analyst for the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, as per Weld County.
