New York City's skyline is ever-changing and is now undergoing a change of another kind - a cleaning of the air around it, assisted by a Con Edison program, which helps people switch to cleaner-burning natural gas. A city regulation, initiated by the Bloomberg administration, phases out the burning of No. 6 and No. 4 fuel oils by 2015 and 2030, respectively. For Con Edison's gas business, that's an opportunity to increase business while improving the environment, the perfect marriage between economics and green responsibility. Nearly 9,000 New York City buildings were burning No. 4 or No. 6 fuel oil in April 2011. These heavy oils, used to heat office and apartment buildings, contain particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide and CO2. Several of these emissions have a direct link to asthma and hospitalization rates. The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that $733 million in annual health care savings will be realized when these fuel oils are no longer burned.
展开▼
