Think Portland isn’t business friendly? Start selling electric leaf blowers.

That’s what Kevin Cardoza is doing. He’s the battery-and-robotics-automation strategist at Stark Street Lawn & Garden, and he’s running a battery blower super sale and demo event on Dec. 16, at the company’s store on Southeast Stark Street.

Cardoza’s timing is no accident. Starting Jan. 1, use of gas-powered leaf blowers will be prohibited, except from October through December, when leaves are plentiful, and wet. That’s the policy until Jan. 1, 2028, when gas machines will be banned year-round.

Why the delay? When the ban was passed in March 2024, policymakers didn’t think electric blowers were powerful enough to deal with Portland’s fall leaf load, especially during rainy years. Now, Cardoza says, they are up

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