Short grass, fewer fumes

That pungent cloud of smoke that puffs out of suburban lawnmowers will be less pungent and less smoky under a new Environmental Protection Agency rule. The pollution standards on small engines - including boats and a range of lawn and garden equipment - will increase, requiring the installation of catalytic converters already common on automobiles. It's good news for backyard environmentalists, but it does come with a cost - up to $47 more per lawn tractor, $280 to an outboard engine and $360 to a personal watercraft.