Fossil fuels

Re “Virginia lawmakers consider bill to let cities and counties prohibit gas-powered leaf blowers” (Feb. 1): Next they’ll be coming for your gas lawn mower, appliances and vehicles. Don’t think it will happen? Think again. Gas-powered equipment bans are spreading throughout the country.

California bans the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment and chainsaws, will ban the sale of single-use propane cylinders and portable gas generators in 2028, and will ban the sale of natural gas furnaces and water heaters in 2030.

Other states are planning bans similar to California. Some states and municipalities want to outlaw all personal gas-powered lawn equipment. Virginia is among several states mandating all new vehicles sold by 2035 be electric.

Politicians are set on forcing electric lawn equipment, appliances and vehicles onto U.S. consumers in the name of saving the planet. Meanwhile, China is building more coal power plants. It was permitting about two new plants per week in 2022, according to a Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air report. China’s emissions are more than the United States’, European Union’s and India’s combined.

President Joe Biden said, “the only existential threat humanity faces even more frightening than a … nuclear war is global warming.” Seriously? Climate change policies based on hysteria are a much bigger threat to humanity than your lawn equipment. COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber warned that a fossil fuel phaseout “would not allow sustainable development unless you want to take the world back into caves,” according to theguardian.com.

— Joe Naneville, Windsor