New York City Plan Implements Green Technology, Has $2.3B Price Tag

July 8, 2008 12:34 p.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - New York City will implement green measures costing $2.3 billion over the next nine years, City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday.

Among the measures are plans for firemen and policemen to use hybrid vehicles, heating and cooling upgrades for offices using green technology and the replacement of earth-friendly light bulbs on New York City streets.

Although the plan initially carries a big price tag for taxpayers, Bloomberg said in the long run it would benefit New Yorkers in savings on energy bill and a cleaner environment.

The city government uses 6.5 percent of all the power used in New York City, costing Big Apple taxpayers $1 billion annually. With the green measures, Bloomberg targets a 30 percent greenhouse gas reduction by 2030.

Part of the plan calls for the creation of about 400 green spaces across the city. The environment-friendly facilities that Bloomberg wants include a 2,200-acre world-class park at a former landfill in Staten Island and an Olympic-size poll and a recreation center at McCarren Park in Williamsburg.