New NYC 'char broil' rule would force restaurants to cut emissions by 75%

The blue state's Department of Environmental Protection proposed a new rule to establish emissions standards for under-fire commercial char broilers, a commonly used method of cooking meat that gives it a smokey taste. 

Additionally, under the rule, NYC restaurants that char-broil more than 875 pounds of meat per week would not be allowed to operate, with the exception that the business has an approved emissions control device.

The document cited a study by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on premature deaths attributed to particulate matter (PM) - solid particles like smoke or dust, released when cooking or burning fires.

"If all char broilers had control technology installed, the reduction in ambient PM concentrations could have prevented nearly 350 of these premature deaths each year," the proposed rule reads.

The study reportedly found that commercial char broilers released an estimated 1,400 tons of PM per year in New York's five boroughs, which they concluded contributed to more than 12% of PM attributable premature deaths annually from 2005 to 2007. 

"The fact that this is even an issue is a nothingburger," Alan Rosen, who owns Juniors in NYC, a restaurant that uses the charred meat method, told the New York Post.  

"People are getting knifed in the subway, and they're worried about charbroilers? We've been doing this for almost 75 years. It's absolutely ridiculous."

In the proposed rule, the department acknowledges the difficulty in requiring New York City restaurants to undergo emissions tests.

"Demonstrating the 75% PM reduction presented a challenge for many restaurant owners who do not have an Environmental Protection Agency Method 5 certified emissions control device," the proposal reads.

A public hearing on the proposed rule will be held on Jan. 29, 2025.