DeSantis visits New York pizzeria in wake of impending regulations against wood and coal-fired ovens

An impending new New York City regulation threatens pizzerias with wood- and coal-fired ovens. The Department of Environmental Protection took up an initiative by Mayor Bill de Blasio that would force restaurants currently using these cooking methods to reduce their carbon emissions through expensive equipment. In this context, Ron DeSantis visited the Big Apple to poke fun at the situation.

The Republican presidential candidate knocked on the door of Grimaldi's, a well-known pizzeria in the city, along with the Fox News anchor who will replace Tucker Carlson in July. The two chatted for a few minutes with Anthony, one of the owners of the place, and the Florida governor even took it upon himself to put a pizza in the oven, lit, of course, with wood and coal from Pennsylvania.

Minutes later, DeSantis and Watters toasted their respective slices and discussed New York City's proposed measure. "According to the government, this is killing the environment. Let's take a slice", joked the presenter before starting the tasting.

"I mean, honestly, I see a lot of the people leaving New York who complain about what goes on up here, but even I wouldn't have believed that they would have dreamed of going after this. This is a staple of this city," the governor assured as he chewed.

When Watters asked him why he thought the local government was considering this initiative, the Republican didn't hesitate."They just want to control. You have an itch on the left they want to control behavior. A lot, we saw the same thing with Covid, a lot of that wasn't about your health, it was about they wanted to control your behavior. So they just don't want people to be happy and be able to make their own decisions," he added and then continued eating.

Regulation against wood and coal-fired pizza in New York City

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection proposed that food establishments using these cooking methods reduce their carbon emissions by up to 75%.

The new regulation would require all pizzerias that have coal or wood-fired ovens installed before May 2016 to purchase air filter systems to control these emissions, systems that are not exactly inexpensive.

"All New Yorkers deserve to breathe healthy air, and wood and coal stoves are among the highest emitters of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality," said Ted Timbers, a spokesman for the department.

"This common-sense rule, developed with restoration and environmental justice groups, requires a professional review to determine if it is feasible to install emission controls," he added.

An official told the New York Post that fewer than 100 restaurants would be affected by the measure. Within this group, renowned restaurants such as Lombardi's, Fornino's, Arturo's, John's of Bleecker Street, Patsy's and Grimaldi's stand out.

The proposal has to do with complying with a 2015 law enacted by then-Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio.