{"id":13429,"date":"2016-06-21T13:00:13","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T18:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=13429"},"modified":"2016-06-22T14:24:18","modified_gmt":"2016-06-22T19:24:18","slug":"clean-heat-clean-air-in-westchester-county-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2016\/06\/21\/clean-heat-clean-air-in-westchester-county-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean Heat, Clean Air in Westchester County, New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New York City may not be the place that comes to mind when you think of clean air, but NYC has done tremendous work in improving air quality \u2013 and now our neighbors in upstate Westchester County are following suit.<\/p>\n

Seeing the positive health impacts from the phase-out of highly polluting heating oil in NYC, the Westchester County Legislature yesterday approved<\/a> a resolution to phase out No. 6 and No. 4 oil in their buildings over time \u2013 No. 6 heating oil by 2018, and No. 4 oil by 2020.<\/p>\n

These oils emit fine particular matter (PM2.5) and harmful chemicals like sulfur dioxide. When burned, they can become lodged in the lungs and worsen respiratory and cardiovascular issues. There were only a few hundred such buildings in Westchester county \u2013 compared to thousands in NYC \u2013 but that was still too many for Westchester officials to rest on their laurels. The county legislature went to work cleaning their air, and that work is paying off.<\/p>\n

Community collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n

County Legislator Catherine Parker<\/a> has led the charge for years, and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has worked with her along the way. In a collaborative effort, EDF worked with Parker and the legislature to take lessons learned from NYC and adapt regulatory measures to Westchester.<\/p>\n

Since 2011, when EDF and a coalition of organizations and local leaders worked<\/a> together to phase out dirty heating oil NYC, we\u2019ve been actively working to share our lessons from this experience. EDF believes the work in NYC can serve as an example to cities, counties, and states nationwide. Though NYC went a step beyond the regulation and created the NYC Clean Heat<\/a> program to help buildings make the switch to cleaner fuels, one of the reasons the program was successful is due to the foundation provided by the city\u2019s regulation.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Clean Heat, Clean Air in Westchester County, New York”]<\/p>\n

Part of the success in Westchester is due to cooperation across the aisle, a welcomed sight these days, with co-sponsor Francis Corcoran<\/a>, a Republican. By phasing out heating oil, Westchester is taking a significant step toward cleaner air for residents throughout the county. EDF was pleased to submit testimony multiple times in support of the bill, speaking to the improvements in air quality and public health we have seen in NYC.<\/p>\n

How Westchester may benefit<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the New York Community Air Survey\u2019s (NYCCAS) recent report<\/a>, the results of eliminating No. 6 and No. 4 oil in NYC have been impressive.<\/p>\n