NYC environmentalists are waiting with bated breath to see if Mayor de Blasio has plans to rebrand PlaNYC, the city’s eight-year-old sustainability blueprint originally implemented by the Bloomberg administration. As reported by Crain’s New York, local sustainability advocates are worried that the mayor is planning to steer the sustainability initiative away from environmental issues and towards inequality issues.
Although no official message has been released, green-minded organizations are a bit anxious because Earth Day is right around the corner and the mayor’s office has not shared any official details of its new revamped version of the PlaNYC program.
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However, de Blasio will hold a press conference on Wednesday that will be focused on the city’s goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 80% from 2005 levels by 2050. New measures will be announced that are expected to focus on reducing the emissions from NYC buildings. Additionally, the revamped program is expected to include some initiatives aimed at improving the city’s resiliency against super storms.
A spokeswoman for the mayor emphasized de Blasio‘s strong environmental commitment. “It defies logic to imply that the mayor’s update won’t focus on the environment. As we’ve made clear, this will be a blueprint for a more sustainable, resilient, strong and equitable New York City—expanding on the previous plans and the ambitious agenda the mayor has already outlined.”
Indeed, it seems as if not all green advocates are convinced that the mayor will disappoint when it comes to revamping the NY initiative. “We’re not counting our chickens before they’ve hatched, but we’re not ready to throw them out, either,” said Eric Goldstein, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The administration has sent signals that this is likely to be an ambitious plan, and so we’re standing by.”
Via Crain’s New York
Lead image © Bill de Blasio/Facebook
