Pizzeria Owner Calls Out NYC’s Ban on Coal- and Wood-Burning Ovens

NEW YORK, N.Y.—New York City has set its sights on a cultural establishment that embodies an emblematic tradition in the Big Apple: pizzerias. Specifically, restaurateurs who make pizza using coal- and wood-burning ovens installed before 2016.

Earlier this year, New York City announced a rule mandating that such ovens be fitted with expensive scrubbers designed to reduce soot, in an attempt to limit air pollution and fight climate change.

Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, went so far as to compare emissions from such ovens to the Canadian wildfires.

But is the city’s rule effective? And what’s the take from business owners themselves?

A digital production team from The Heritage Foundation recently traveled to a quiet street in Brooklyn to speak with Paulie Giannone, owner of Paulie Gee’s and Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s multimedia news organization.)

Click on the video above to see what the team found.

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