No, New York City isn’t banning coal or wood-fired pizza ovens

Pizza is a New York City staple, and many pizzerias in the city make their pies in coal or wood-fired pizza ovens.

Recent viral social media posts and some media outlets claim that the New York City government has proposed a new rule that would ban coal and wood-fired pizza ovens at pizzerias in the city in an effort to cut down on carbon emissions and improve air quality.

One man got so upset by the alleged news that he threw several slices of pizza over the gate at New York City Hall on June 26. But is NYC really coming for your pizza?

THE QUESTION

Is New York City banning coal or wood-fired pizza ovens?

THE SOURCES

• New York City Department of Environmental Protection 
• The City Record, the official journal of the City of New York
• NYC Rules
• Eric Adams, mayor of New York City
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Grimaldi’s Pizzeria

THE ANSWER

No, New York City is not banning coal or wood-fired pizza ovens.

WHAT WE FOUND

New York City is not banning coal or wood-fired pizza ovens at pizzerias in the Big Apple. Instead, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection has proposed a rule that would require restaurants with older model cook stoves, such as coal or wood-fired pizza ovens, to reduce particulate emissions.

“We don't want to hurt businesses in the city and we don't want to hurt the environment,” NYC Mayor Eric Adams said when asked about the rule during a June 26 press conference.

In 2016, Title 24 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York was amended to add Section 24-149.5. This new section proposed a rule that required restaurants, including pizzerias, that used coal and wood-fired ovens installed prior to May 6, 2016, to install an emission control device on the oven that would work to reduce odors, smoke and particulate matter.

The rule was initially supposed to go into effect by Jan. 1, 2020, however, it was not implemented at that time due to technical and cost concerns, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the city is moving forward and asking for input from residents and restaurant owners about how to enforce the rule.

The rule states that restaurants that operate existing coal or wood-fired ovens must hire a professional engineer or registered architect to assess the feasibility of installing emission controls to achieve a 75% reduction in particulate emissions.

If the assessor concludes that a reduction of 75% of particulate matter or more cannot be achieved, or that no emissions controls can be installed, the assessment must then identify any emission controls that can provide a reduction of at least 25% or explain why no emission controls can be installed, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection says.

Particulate matter (also called particulate pollution) is defined as a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. While other particles are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope.

The EPA says that particulate matter is known to cause a variety of health problems, including aggravated asthma, irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attacks, decreased lung function, increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing, and premature death in people with heart or lung disease.

“Every toxic entity that we remove from our air is adding up to the overall desire to deal with shrinking our carbon footprint,” Adams said.

VERIFY reached out to several NYC pizzerias that operate coal or wood-fired ovens, including the original Grimaldi’s Pizzeria located under the Brooklyn Bridge, to get their thoughts on the proposed rule.

“Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is committed to providing our guests with our pizza’s award-winning taste while complying with all regulatory requirements,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“As such, we are currently reviewing what actions, if any, may be necessary to comply with legislation set by New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in order to ensure that we can continue bringing our signature experience to our loyal guests,” the spokesperson told VERIFY.

The NYC Department of Environmental Protection is holding a virtual public hearing on July 27, 2023, at 11 a.m. to discuss the rule. People can submit comments via the NYC Rules website, via email at nycrules@dep.nyc.gov or by fax at 718-595-6543 by that date. Those who wish to speak at the hearing must sign up beforehand by calling 718-595-6531.

“Let's let the public weigh in and then we can have a conversation if we're going to move forward or not,” Adams said. “And the public can weigh in without throwing pizza over my gate.”

VERIFY contacted the NYC Department of Environmental Protection with additional questions about the rule but did not hear back by the time of publication.