News From Around the Boroughs
Brian O'Connor
Issue date: 11/30/05 Section: News
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New York State is set to adopt the strict emissions set by California in an attempt to restrict the levels of greenhouse gases coming from the large volume of traffic going through the state on a daily basis.
The regulations are expected to create controversy, as they are among the strictest in the nation. Legislators in favor of the new limits say that they will help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in traffic-heavy locations along the Brooklyn-Queens expressway, and the Cross Bronx Expressway. The new laws will reduce emissions in the state over the next decade.
After the measure passed by a unanimous vote last week by the New York State Environmental Board, it was expected that the new legislation would be passed by nearby states as well. Though the measure met no criticism in Albany, the automotive industry is set to fight the new standards.
Environmental advocates stress that the regulations will not eradicate any class of vehicle, but will instead pressure the automotive industry to spend more time working on fuel-saving technologies already adopted but not often used.
"The two biggest contributors to global warming are power plants and motor vehicles," said David Doniger, a senior lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "If you deal with them, you deal with more than two-thirds of the problem."
The automobile industry says that the new regulations will restrict the availability of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and vans, since their emissions will have to be drastically reduced.
MAYOR BLOOMBERG APPOINTS TASK FORCE TO INVESTIGATE PARADE ACCIDENT
Last Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed a task force comprised of city officials in order to determine what caused a light fixture to fall after being struck by one of the large helium balloons of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade last Thursday.
The accident occurred as the parade marched through Times Square. Battling the strong winds of a cold front coming in the day before, balloon handlers were unable to prevent one of the massive balloons from swinging out of control. The balloon struck a light fixture on the side of the street, which subsequently fell, striking two young girls watching the parade.