Springfield Township or Springfield HOA?

There’s early chatter inside the Springfield Township Environmental Advisory Commission (EAC) about gas-powered leaf blowers — following the same playbook that just unfolded in Lower Merion Township.

Lower Merion went from “just a discussion” to a full phased ban, restricting homeowners and landscapers and adding fines and penalties directly into their property maintenance code. Now, Springfield’s EAC is openly reviewing those same ordinances as “models” for potential local action.

So here’s the question:

Are we still Springfield Township… or are we slowly becoming Springfield HOA?

Because when local government starts telling residents what tools they can or can’t use on their own property, that’s not environmental policy — that’s lifestyle regulation.

No one is denying that noise and emissions are real concerns to some residence. But there’s a better way forward — one that’s collaborative, not coercive.

If the EAC wants to help, they could host a “Toro Trade-In Day”: bring in your old gas-powered blower and get a new electric model at a discount. Let’s work with businesses, not against them.

We don’t need new laws; we need practical solutions.

If the township wants to lead on environmental progress, it should start with education, incentives, and transparency, not more regulation.

Stay alert.

Read the agendas.

Don’t let policy sneak through the back door.