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New laws are heading toward Colorado. One is a law that has already passed and is just set to take effect for the first time next year while the other is a proposed bill that will be voted on soon. The laws deal with complete opposite entities, one dealing with gas-powered lawn equipment while the other tackles parking throughout the state. The gas-powered lawn equipment law is the one that is making its effective debut next year and the parking issue is a bill that is just hitting the state’s House of Representatives.

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission adopted the ban on gas-powered lawn equipment.

This ban is currently set to go into effect annually, but only for a few months out of every year. These months are June to August, which are the most common months in which people frequently mow their lawns in Colorado. Essentially, because this timeframe is when lawn mowing happens the most, and gas-powered equipment generates a heavy amount of carbon emissions, the state Air Quality Control Commission wants to make moves to limit the amount of carbon being emitted as much as possible. This means essentially that lawn having homeowners and/or business owners must decide to not mow their lawns for three months, rent an electric lawn mower throughout those months, or make the decision to long term invest in an electric lawn mower. Ideally, the latter is what most people will decide to do, as that will further contribute to lower emissions.

The parking bill that has been proposed aims to restrict parking minimums in the state.

The bill, currently dubbed House Bill 24-1304, would stop municipalities and counties from implementing parking requirements in residential and commercial areas. The goal of this is to create more affordable housing and lower the amount of traffic congestion. Essentially, this bill would also be set with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, there are requirements in place that establish that municipalities must have three parking spaces per unit. This creates high costs for the building which leads to high costs for residents. Ultimately, this would establish a precedent that would lower the cost of housing and, ideally, force more people to take public transportation and/or carpool which would lower the emissions coming from Colorado residents.