New Yorkers Can Breathe a Little Deeper

The city’s Health Department last week released the latest New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS) results, which found improvements in air quality between 2008 and 2015 and highlighted continued progress toward Mayor de Blasio’s OneNYC goal of achieving the cleanest air of any large U.S. city by 2030.

Between 2008 and 2015, levels of fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide and black carbon have declined by 18 percent, 23 percent, 28 percent and 18 percent, respectively. The reduction in air pollution is most directly related to the phase out of №6 heating oil, an effort that was spearheaded by the DEP. Last February, DEP and Mayor de Blasio announced that all 5,300 buildings that were registered as burning Number 6 heating oil in 2011 have converted to a cleaner fuel. Working closely with environmental groups and the real estate industry, in 2011 DEP promulgated new rules which phased out the use of №6 heating oil by 2015. Since then, DEP enforcement staff have conducted nearly 4,000 inspections, issued more than 2,000 Notices of Violation and 162 Cease and Desist Orders to ensure buildings were making the required conversion.