Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, slammed the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Monday for its proposal to ban coal and wood-fired pizzeria stoves.
“Apparently, in New York City, some f-cking little liberal arts, Ivy League, pink-haired, crazy liberal who’s never worked one day in the real world, is on an environmental commission and they woke up from their little nappy-poo wherever that may be and they’re like, ‘I figured out how to save the world today. We have to get rid of coal oven pizzerias in New York City,’” Portnoy said in a video message on social media.
Portnoy’s video message comes as backlash to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s recent announcement that it has drafted new rules that would mandate pizzerias in the city with wood and coal-fire ovens that were installed before 2016 to reduce carbon emissions by 75%.
According to the New York Post, pizzeria owners would be required to install filters on the ovens to reduce emissions, as well as hire engineers to periodically inspect the restaurant’s carbon emissions.
“All New Yorkers deserve to breathe healthy air and wood and coal-fired stoves are among the largest contributors of harmful pollutants in neighborhoods with poor air quality,” Ted Timbers, DEP spokesman, said. “This common-sense rule, developed with restaurant and environmental justice groups, requires a professional review of whether installing emission controls is feasible.”
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In his rant on social media, Portnoy poked fun at the proposed mandates, saying “I guess it’s pollution, blah, blah, blah!”
Railing against the DEP’s proposal, Portnoy argued that all of “the best” pizzerias in New York City have been using coal ovens for generations.
Portnoy mocked “this environmental commission lad-dee-da person” for suggesting that the city ban coal ovens to reduce emissions.
“Do you know what’s going on in New York?” he asked. “You got rats. You got trash in the city, you got f-cking cars, planes, private planes. You got people getting slashed on the subway. You got flash mobs robbing stores. And you’re coming for coal-oven pizzerias? You think shutting like 10 to 15 pizza places is gonna make a f-cking difference? They’ve been there for one hundred f-cking years.”
