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Trump buildings face millions in climate fines under new New York rules
“President Trump, you’re on notice. Your polluting buildings are part of the problem. Cut your emissions or pay the price.” — Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Donald Trump can deny climate change all he wants, but it will begin taking a bite out of his New York City earnings in 2030.
Related: New York Has a Plan to Tackle Some of Its Worst Carbon Polluters
“President Trump, you’re on notice. Your polluting buildings are part of the problem. Cut your emissions or pay the price.” — Mayor Bill de Blasio.
5/13/19
Donald Trump’s reluctance to address climate change is set to cost his business empire millions of dollars in fines levied by New York City due to the amount of pollution emitted by Trump-owned buildings. According to data shared with the Guardian, eight Trump properties in New York City do not comply with new regulations designed to slash greenhouse gas emissions. This means the Trump Organization is on track to be hit with fines of $2.1m every year from 2030, unless its buildings are made more environmentally friendly. According to city officials, the president’s eight largest New York properties pump out around 27,000 tons of planet-warming gases every ear, the equivalent of 5,800 cars. The buildings that exceed the new pollution thresholds include Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, and the Trump Building on Wall Street. The biggest potential offender is Trump International Hotel & Tower, a 583ft skyscraper that looms over the south-west corner of Central Park. The building is on course to be fined $850,871 a year if no improvements are made to its energy efficiency.
The New York mayor, Bill de Blasio, will hold a rally outside Trump Tower on Monday, seeking to highlight the looming penalties. “President Trump, you’re on notice,” de Blasio said. “Your polluting buildings are part of the problem. Cut your emissions or pay the price.” The fines are part of legislation passed by the city council in April that seeks to cut planet-warming emissions from the city’s largest buildings. All premises larger than 25,000ft – a total of 50,000 buildings – will be required to cut overall emissions 40% or face annual fines. Trump’s properties have long been identified as leading consumers of energy, although city officials say some other buildings are on track for even heavier fines. In order to comply with the new regulations, the Trump properties must improve insulation, upgrade window glass, replace boilers and better automate electricity use. “The good performers won’t have to pay any penalties but anything above the threshold has a lot of work to do now,” said Mark Chambers, director of the mayor’s office of sustainability. “It’s clear the president needs to pay attention to this, it’s a lot of money. “We will do what’s necessary to combat the climate crisis. It’s important we are all held responsible and President Trump is the No 1 roadblock globally to us responding to climate change.” The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment.
Donald Trump can deny climate change all he wants, but it will begin taking a bite out of his New York City earnings in 2030.
Related: New York Has a Plan to Tackle Some of Its Worst Carbon Polluters