A new measure presented by a state senator claims that forcing New York City pizzerias and matzah producers to reduce the smoke and pollution from their wood- and coal-fired ovens is an act of ethnic prejudice.
According to Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R-Staten Island), his proposed legislation would exclude companies, including several well-known local restaurants, from a contentious municipal green edict that mandates a 75% reduction in emissions of this kind.
“A cop just got killed. People are getting thrown in front of subway trains. We have people dying from overdoses and a migrant crisis we didn’t ask for. But we’re going after wood-burning pizza? It’s misguided. Let’s get our priorities straight”, Pirozzolo told the New York Post.
The new regulation from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection goes into effect on April 27 and mandates that restaurants that now use coal or wood fires install expensive air filtering devices that significantly reduce the emissions from their conventional ovens.
Pirozzolo’s “Preserving Our Culinary Traditions Act” would exclude burning wood, coal, natural gas, propane, or other fuels from environmental regulations when used to cook or prepare food.
“In keeping with the rich culinary tradition of New York City’s residents and in-state residents hailing from far and wide, it is perfectly reasonable to exempt the use of said appliances to allow eateries to continue adhering to proper cooking protocols to preserve the rich flavors, textures, and aromas of these dishes’ far-flung homelands— not to mention shielding business owners from having to shoulder the costs of updating at least some of their equipment just to comply with mandates, with costs coming out of their own pockets,” Pirozzolo wrote in a memo explaining the bill.
The assemblyman stated he anticipates the bill being presented in the state Senate as well. To get support, he is sending a draft of the measure to other lawmakers.
Some restaurants have already forked out more than $600,000 for brand-new smoke-eating equipment in advance of the anticipated need. However, several restaurateurs are concerned that their product’s flavor may suffer or that their ability to make dough would be compromised in order to comply with the regulation.
According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Department of Environmental Protection, the new regulation is carrying out a 2015 City Council and then-Mayor Bill de Blasio ordinance that mandated pollutant-emitting coal and wood-fired pizzerias to significantly reduce their harmful particulate matter emissions, which are known to cause asthma and other respiratory ailments.
