New York City officials are considering imposing emissions limits on popular grilling equipment in a recent move to combat climate change, arguing that such regulations could prevent premature deaths.
The Blue State Department of Environmental Protection has proposed new rules to establish emissions standards for open-fire commercial charcoal grills, a commonly used meat preparation method that gives meat a smoky flavor.
The proposed rule would require all New York City restaurants with open-fire charcoal grills installed after May 2016 to reduce emissions from the equipment by 75%.
Additionally, the rule would not allow New York City restaurants that grill more than 875 pounds of meat per week over charcoal to operate unless they have approved emissions control equipment.
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Chef David Guerrero prepares chargrilled octopus and beef heart at Alma Cebiche bar in Houston on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)
In a proposed rule reviewed by Fox News Digital, officials argued that such restrictions on meat-preparing equipment could prevent hundreds of deaths.
The document cites a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene study on premature deaths attributed to particulate matter (PM), solid particles such as smoke and dust released when cooking and burning fires.
“If all charcoal grills had control technology in place, ambient PM concentrations would have been reduced and nearly 350 premature deaths each year could have been prevented,” the proposed rule states.
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According to the report, the study found that commercial charcoal burners emit an estimated 1,400 tons of PM per year in New York's five boroughs, accounting for 12 deaths per year from premature PM from 2005 to 2007. It was concluded that it contributed more than %.
But restaurant owners are outraged by the potential restrictions.
Chef Jeramy Robinson of Jim's Little Deck prepares chargrilled oysters on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010 in Houston. (Nick de la Torre/Houston Chronicle)
“The fact that this is even an issue is nothing to burgers,” Alan Rosen, owner of Junior's in New York, a restaurant that uses the charred meat method, told the New York Post. told.
“People are getting knifed on the subway and you're worried about charbroilers? We've been doing this for almost 75 years. It's just ridiculous.”
In the proposed rule, the department acknowledged the difficulty of requiring New York City restaurants to undergo emissions testing.
“Demonstrating a 75% PM reduction has been a challenge for many restaurant owners who do not have EPA Method 5 certified emissions control equipment,” the proposal says.
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A public hearing on the proposed rule is scheduled to be held on January 29, 2025.
