Another day, another blue-state liberal politician trying to come for our kitchens. This time, it’s the New York City Department of Environmental Protection telling NYC restaurants to curb their carbon emissions by 75 percent. The New York Post quotes DEP spokesman Ted Timbers as saying, “wood and coal-fired stoves are among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality.” In other words, get rid of that pizza oven!
This isn’t the first time our liberal neighbors to the north have tried to tell the plebes they’re polluting too much: the state of New York made headlines back in the spring for banning gas stoves in most new buildings. And last fall, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a plan to make all vehicles sold in New York zero-emissions by 2035.
One of the problems with these policies–and the problems are legion–is that they always seem to hurt regular folks while letting big-time polluters off the hook. Individuals cooking with gas stoves and ovens in their own homes are not how we get to cleaner air–and neither are banning delicious, coal-fired pies. On the same token, restaurants have thinner margins than a slice of New York-style pizza has crust. Adding to their regulatory and tax burden means one thing: fewer restaurants and the jobs they create.
Among Green New Deal proponents, there seems to be an obsession with bans and edicts that will do very little to contribute to their stated goals, but will do much harm to regular Americans. These policies drive up costs, close small businesses, and hit the pocketbook in ways that it seems are never considered.
Clean air is a laudable goal, and there is a lot of innovation happening in the marketplace to get us there. But liberal blue-state politicians are not the ones driving it, and they won’t be the ones to save us: those regular Americans they seem to disdain will.
Gregory Gleaves is the Founder and President of Direct Edge Campaigns, which he founded in 2013. He lives in Franklin with his wife, Lei Ann, two children, Luke and Ava, and their dog, Oreo.
