EDITORIAL: NYC mayor wants to ban classic steel-and-glass skyscrapers

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made a major blunder in his support of the Green New Deal: He revealed a snippet of what the radical plan would actually require.

Two weeks ago, Mayor de Blasio announced a sweeping plan he labeled as a Green New Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York City. “We are going to ban the classic glass and steel skyscrapers, which are incredibly inefficient,” Mayor de Blasio said on MSNBC.

Under the mayor’s decree, the government would allow builders to still use glass and steel to construct skyscrapers only if they incorporated enough energy-efficiency measures. He also wants to demand that current property owners increase the energy efficiency of buildings or face fines that could top $1 million. New York City already requires all new residential and commercial buildings to have plants, solar panels or wind turbines on their roofs. Expect some of the same people who are cheering these mandates to grumble about the skyrocketing cost of housing in New York.

Mayor de Blasio’s grand scheme also calls for congestion pricing for vehicles entering Manhattan. In addition, he envisions 80 percent of those traveling to the city by 2050 will come by foot, on bicycles or through public transport. What about magic carpets?

Next, the mayor seeks to wave his hand and stop the city government from buying processed meat while reducing beef purchases by 50 percent. Say goodbye to hot dogs in government-run facilities. Whatever it takes to eliminate cow burps and flatulence.

This is just a snapshot of the steps city residents will need to take to help the city achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the mayor insists. In contrast, the federal Green New Deal, pushed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., calls for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Apparently, Mayor de Blasio hasn’t gotten the message propagated by climate change Chicken Littles that the world is going to end in 12 years.

Nevada’s Legislature is also in on the action, although in a less drastic way. State Sen. Chris Brooks, D-Las Vegas, is pushing Senate Bill 254, which would require the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to submit reports on how the state and its citizens can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It seeks to identify whether these policies would result in zero or near-zero emissions by 2050.

Most of these plans — not surprisingly — are light on informing the public of the actual economic and social ramifications of demanding carbon neutrality when it comes to the nation’s energy needs. It simply isn’t possible at this point to fuel the U.S. economy solely through renewable sources — unless nuclear power were considered, which, of course, is anathema to progressives.

Just as the unveiling of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal — which included broadsides against cows, automobiles and air travel — proved highly instructive, Mayor de Blasio did the country a favor by showing what just a portion of his far-left green agenda would actually entail.