Borough President Stringer Exposes Heating Oil "Dirty Dozen"
Last week, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer released " Tenants and Toxins: Converting Dirty Boilers in New York City's Affordable Housing Stock ," a report that for the first time lays out, by zip code, where toxic boilers burning No. 4 and No. 6 heating oil are concentrated. New data in the report reveals that roughly two-thirds of all dirty boilers in New York City -- 5,614 of the 8,912 dirty boilers, or 63% -- are located in buildings with one or more units of rent regulated housing.
The top 12 zip codes in the city with the highest concentration of dirty boilers in rent regulated buildings - The Dirty Dozen - are all located in Manhattan and the Bronx. At the top of the list is Bedford Park and Norwood in the Bronx's 10467 zip code, with 252 dirty boilers in rent regulated buildings. Second on the list is the adjacent 10468 - encompassing the University Heights, Morris Heights, Fordham, and Mount Hope sections of the Bronx - with 221 dirty boilers in rent regulated buildings. In Manhattan, the Upper West Side's and Morningside Heights' 10025 zip code ranks third in the city, with 218 dirty boilers in rent regulated buildings. For a complete list of The Dirty Dozen zip codes, along with pertinent demographic data for each one, see the attached list.
Toxic boilers that burn No. 6 and No. 4 oil should be considered public health enemy No. 1 in this city," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. "The City needs to get more aggressive, and more creative about the way we address this crisis. We know roughly two-thirds of these dirty boilers are located in rent regulated buildings, which are already severely limited in paying for capital improvements. We need policies that recognize this fact, or we'll never tackle the problem."
Many of the top 12 zip codes also have among the highest populations of very young and elderly residents in the city, populations that are known to be most susceptible to the toxic pollution emitted by dirty boilers. The City has projected that air pollution caused by dirty boilers and other sources is responsible for more than 3,000 deaths and approximately 6,000 emergency department visits for asthma in children and adults citywide each year. [1]
The devastating public health impacts of burning #4 and #6oils are well-documented. A frequently cited statistic notes that these boilers represent just 1% of the City's buildings, yet they account for 86%of the City's heating oil soot pollution. To put this figure in context, the Environmental Defense Fund estimates that this small amount of home heating oil produces fifty percent more air pollution than all of the cars and trucks in New York City. [2] Last month, Mayor Bloomberg announced plans for a small, $37 million loan fund that will be partially dedicated to boiler conversions. Stringer's report argues that loans alone will not solve this problem, and that more attention must be paid to the unique financial constraints faced by rent regulated building owners and tenants.
The Borough President recommends a mix of time-limited tax abatements and grants to encourage building owners to move quickly to replace dirty boilers. He identifies as a revenue source funds generated through New York's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-million dollar State program dedicated to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He would also offer a temporary window of assistance through the Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP), which currently offers tax abatements to many city businesses, as well as J-51 abatements.
Importantly, Stringer's proposals expressly prohibit landlords who take advantage of public subsidies from then passing along the costs of conversion to their tenants through a Major Capital Improvement assessment.
The Borough President's report argues that the City's current timeline for replacing these boilers - 2015 for No. 6 boilers, and 2030 for No. 4 boilers - is too slow and riddled with vague "financial hardship" loopholes that will allow these boilers to continue polluting for years. He also calls on the City to publish a complete list of dirty boilers in publicly owned buildings, an omission that to date has made it impossible for lawmakers and others to assess the true cost of ridding the city of these dirty boilers.
"My concern is that the City is not moving fast enough to replace these dirty boilers, with some deadlines stretching to 2030. We can do better," the Borough President said. "At the end of the day, this is about saving lives, saving the environment and saving some of our most precious affordable housing stock. It can be a win-win-win, but only if we move quickly and intelligently, with solutions that are based on real data."
"Borough President Stringer's report highlights a very important problem. Landlords' continued use of toxic heating oil in residential buildings is hurting the health of New York City's children. The City should focus its tax and other landlord benefit programs to encourage conversion of these boilers while making sure that the costs are not born by the tenants." Judith Goldiner, Supervising Attorney, Law Reform Unit, Civil Practice, The Legal Aid Society.
