New York City taking a slice out of iconic pizza shops with new green rule

Green regulation impacting over 100 New York City pizzerias is 'overkill': pizza shop owner

More than 100 iconic New York City pizzerias could be forced out of business thanks to a quietly approved plan requiring wood- and coal-fired stoves to cut carbon emissions by 75%, a pie shop owner told Fox News.

"This regulation will go a long way to put an end to charming wood-fired pizza restaurants in New York City," Brooklyn pizzeria owner Paul Giannone, known as Paulie Gee, told Fox News. "A sad day in my opinion."

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rule, which will take effect April 27, applies to restaurants with cook stoves installed before May 2016. The mandate, originally proposed in June, requires affected pizzeria owners to install a filter, then hire an engineer to regularly inspect the carbon emissions. 

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection adopted a new rule that orders pizzerias using coal- or wooden-fire ovens installed prior to 2016 to cut emissions by up to 75%. (iStock)

Giannone, who opened Paulie Gee's Pizzeria around 14 years ago in Brooklyn, told Fox News he spent $20,000 on emission-control air-filters for his wood-fired oven in anticipation of the DEP rule. He said he was glad to install the devices after receiving a neighbor's complaint about excessive smoke, but added that many businesses can't afford it.

"I think putting this regulation in place for everyone, regardless if it’s having an impact on neighbors or not, is overkill," Giannone said.

The New York City Council directed DEP to develop the rule, according to a department spokesman. DEP also worked alongside environmental groups and restaurateurs.

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"All New Yorkers deserve to breathe healthy air, and wood- and coal-fired stoves are among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality," the DEP spokesperson told Fox News in an email. "This common-sense rule was developed with restaurant owners and environmental justice groups and is a product of years of review."

"We are confident that these critical upgrades will allow us to cut harmful emissions and prioritize New Yorkers’ health, while preserving authentic New York City pizza," the statement read.

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Giannone previously told Fox News businesses are struggling to stay afloat with increased regulations and costs. 

"Regulation after regulation puts more pressure on us and makes it difficult to do business, particularly now with the cost of labor has gone up, the cost of the goods we have to buy to produce our products — it's just making it more difficult," Giannone said in June. 

The rule led a Jewish bakery to spend over $600,000 on new air filtration systems ahead of its approval, the New York Post reported. Another iconic pizzeria, John's of Bleecker Street, spent more than $100,000 on a smoke reduction system. 

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New York City adopted a new green-fueled regulation that a 14-year pizzeria owner said could destroy some of the city's iconic pizza shops.  (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

"We were told we had no choice. We have no business without our oven," manager Joey Schirripa told the Post. "We understand the direction the city is going in. We want to be environmentally friendly."

DEP received 155 comments on the rule last year after it was proposed, with some arguing it would create a financial burden on struggling businesses following the COVID-19 pandemic and would have a trivial impact on pollution, though others supported the move.

"This is an egregious overstep of the state and local government, and puts an unreasonable burden on small businesses that have already endured tremendous hardships over the last 3 years," one commenter, Marc, wrote in June.

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A newly-adopted rule could impact more than 100 pizzerias in New York City.  (TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)

Another critic, Mike, commented in July that the rule could kill a "cherished New York tradition."

"You are going after pizza? Glorious New York pizza?" he wrote. "Can’t you go after Diesel Trucks instead of pizza ovens?"

But Aaron disagreed. 

"We need to do everything we can to reduce harmful emissions and this is a minor first step," he commented. 

The city said the rule would impact around 130 businesses, NYP reported. If an establishment can’t meet the emissions requirement, its owner must submit an assessment and identify how they can be cut by at least 25%.