OPEI to fight leaf blower ban.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Outdoor Power Equipment Institute)(Brief article)

Manufacturers and trade groups are livid over a decision by the Palo Alto, Calif., City Council to ban all gas-powered leaf blowers, including newer models developed to reduce emissions and noise. But the city says the latest models still have a way to go. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), a trade group representing manufacturers of lawn and garden equipment and services, has filed legal papers claiming that the Palo Alto ban is illegal under the Federal Clean Air Act because it attempts to regulate "mobile source" …