New York City wants pizzerias that use coal-fired and wood-burning ovens to either get rid of the appliances or purchase equipment to reduce their emissions.
"This common-sense rule, developed with restaurant and environmental justice groups, requires a professional review of whether installing emission controls is feasible," the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) asserts.
For Frank Santora, manager of Grimaldi's Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria, cost is a concern.
"We heard estimates anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000," he recently told Fox News. "We don't know where it's going to be."
The regulation dates back to 2016 and was scheduled to take effect in 2020, but that was extended because of the pandemic. However, Santora did not find out about it until this week.
"Every day is a surprise," he lamented. "Yesterday at 7:00 in the morning, I hear about this story, and I says, 'How could this be?' We do everything we can to keep the place clean, keep it nice, keep it healthy, and now we gotta do something to change the flue?"
Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, also expressed concerns, telling Fox 5 New York that more regulations like this are going to cut down businesses.
Marc Morano of Climate Depot agrees.
"In the case of these New York City regulations, all it's going to do is add cost, expense, delays, and … it's going to affect the small mom-and-pop businesses," he warns. "The most it's going to stimulate is more corporate retail consolidation of restaurant chains. The small ones just won't be able to afford it."
Meanwhile, the regulations will do nothing for the climate.
"You would have to burn a pizza stove, one single pizza stove – and this is on the high end – 849 years to equal one of John Kerry's private jets," Morano figures.
A public hearing on the matter will be held next month. Any new rule would not become effective until later in the summer.
