Mowing down emissions

As spring blossoms into summer and rusty lawn mowers begin to creep out of the dark corners of garages, our traditional yard maintenance machines will meet new criticism for their eco-shortfalls. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule that would require catalytic converters for small engines under 25 horsepower, commonly found in lawn mowers, generators, and other devices. According to the Marketplace Morning Report, this legislation could reduce small-engine pollution by as much as 70 percent. In certain parts of the US, the simple act of trimming grass produces one-tenth of summertime smog pollution from mobile sources.