Mayor Preaches Green Deal While Defending SUV Trips To Gym​

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — It doesn't sound like Mayor Bill de Blasio will stop his 11-mile SUV rides from the Upper East Side to Park Slope's YMCA anytime soon, despite questions about whether they align with his newest $14 billion plan to cut carbon emissions in the city.

The mayor appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Monday to talk his possible presidential run, the measles outbreak and to promote New York City's Green New Deal, his new aggressive environmental policy that promises to cut emissions 30 percent by 2030.

But while de Blasio explained how the plan would require building developers and the city's government to make drastic changes in the name of environmental responsibility, MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire asked if the mayor would also make some changes in his own routine.

"You live on the Upper East Side in Gracie Mansion," Lemire said. "Most days, or several days a week, a city SUV drives you 11 miles to a gym in Brooklyn as opposed to one that’s close to where you currently reside.

"What sort of environmental responsibility example are you setting there by taking this drive in a car instead of going somewhere nearby?," Lemire asked.

The gym he referred to is the Park Slope YMCA, where de Blasio has been known to go workout almost daily. Lemire noted that de Blasio has said he has made other changes in his life, such as recycling or turning off lights, but it seemed from de Blasio's response he likely won't be swapping his SUV trips for a more environmentally-conscious gym routine.

"Let’s be clear, this is just part of my life," de Blasio said, explaining that wherever he goes he is required to have a security detail follow him in cars. "I come from that neighborhood in Brooklyn — that’s my home. I go there on a regular basis to stay connected to where I come from and not be in the bubble that I think for a lot of politicians I think is a huge problem."

The NYC Green New Deal proposes reducing reliance on fossil fuel vehicles and lowering car emissions with policies such as congestion pricing. It also will mandate that all existing buildings cut their emissions, outlaws any new, all-glass buildings and promises to have the city itself switch over its own operations to 100 percent clean energy sources.

Read more about the new policy here.