Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo (District 85) and various State & City colleagues today announced a New Year’s Resolution helping fellow Bronx constituents to better health and cleaner air by calling for building owners and managers to meet cleaner fuel requirements before the approaching June 30th, 2015 deadline.
“Harmful emissions from heating systems still burning heavy heating oils (No. 4 or 6) are associated with hundreds of premature deaths and thousands of ER visits and hospitalizations each year in New York City,” said Assemblyman Crespo. “In the Bronx alone, buildings still using heavy fuels emit approximately 75 tons of fine particulate matter annually. Until these building heating systems are converted to use cleaner fuels, the emissions from these buildings will contribute to health disparities for Bronx residents.”
"The need to protect our communities from the negative impacts of heavy heating oil is an environmental, economic, and moral imperative. Here in the Bronx, where asthma rates have reached epidemic proportions, we are especially vulnerable to the harmful emissions that result in thousands of hospital visits and hundreds of deaths each year," said Assemblyman Blake. "Dirty fuels increase energy consumption and result in higher heating costs, which isn't good for anybody. I stand here today with Assemblyman Crespo and my fellow colleagues to call upon building owners to make the switch from dirty oil to clean fuel for a better, healthier, and more efficient NYC."
“Historically, the Bronx has been disproportionately affected by various health and quality of life issues. Our borough has one of the highest asthma rates in the country, and reducing our boroughs greenhouse gas emissions from residential and commercial building’s heating systems, will help improve our air quality. I support the Mayor’s NYC Clean Heat program to promote clean and efficient burning fuels and protect the health of our most vulnerable New Yorkers from harmful emissions,” said Councilmember Annabel Palma.
“All New Yorkers should have the right to breathe clean and healthy air that minimizes noxious toxins that are proven to increase the incidence of asthma, emphysema and other chronic illnesses that have long plagued much of the Bronx,” New York City Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson (D-Bronx, 16th CD) said. “By targeting air pollution at its source, the City’s Clean Heat program has had a major positive impact on air quality in the Bronx and today we are showing our support for these efforts, and encouraging landlords throughout the Borough to participate.”
"The NYC Clean Heat Program is intended to transition buildings to less harmful heating fuels and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers by 2015," said Assemblymember Victor Pichardo. "It is important that we all do our part to make our environment cleaner and our air, pollution free."
“The cleaner fuel requirements are a win for Bronx residents, a win for public health and a win for our environment," said Council Member Andy King (12th CD, Bronx), Co-chair of Black, Latino & Asian Caucus of the City Council. "By promoting the NYC Clean Heat Program and cutting harmful emissions, we’re continuing to build on PlaNYC’s broader goal, of increasing energy efficiency in residential building, reducing pollution and improving air quality. The NYC Clean Heat program will help heavy oil building owners and managers meet cleaner fuel requirements. I encourage them to get with the program! Our residents are suffering and this program attacks this head on."
As part of PlaNYC’s goal to achieve the cleanest air of any large U.S. city, The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability launched the NYC Clean Heat program to provide resources to owners, managers, and tenants of buildings that are required to stop burning heavy heating oils, and to encourage those conversions to the cleanest fuels possible. The NYC Clean Heat team provides assistance directly to building decision makers at no cost to help make the switch to cleaner heating fuels. Switching to the cleanest fuels improves the air and the bottom line. Getting off of heavy heating oils can increase the energy efficiency of a building and also ensure that the building does not incur any permit violations. NYC Clean Heat helps buildings make the best choices for their financial situation and the air quality of New York City.
NYC Clean Heat has already reduced over 50 percent of the fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) emissions from buildings burning heavy oil. NYC Clean Heat’s achievements have contributed to the City’s overall pollution reductions. Since 2008, the levels of sulfur dioxide (SOx) in the air have dropped by 69 percent and since 2007 the level of PM 2.5 pollution has dropped by 23 percent. The cleaner air enjoyed by New Yorkers today is preventing 800 deaths and 2,000 emergency room visits and hospitalizations from lung and cardiovascular diseases annually, compared to 2008.
Nilda Mesa, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, confirms that “when buildings switch to cleaner fuels, we get a twofer – we reduce the particulate emissions that trigger asthma, and we cut greenhouse gas emissions. Asthma kills too many of vulnerable New Yorkers, often in low-income neighborhoods.” Additional pollution reduction will result in additional lives saved.
“There has been a significant reduction in heavy oil use since the NYC Clean Heat Program began” continued the Assemblyman. “But in the Bronx, over 240 buildings using No.6 oil remain in operation, and over 1,100 use No.4 oil. I am strongly encouraging building owners and managers to utilize the NYC Clean Heat team and deliver cleaner air throughout the Bronx while meeting their fuel compliance requirements.”
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