"It is great news for all New Yorkers that the Taxi and Limousine Commission unanimously voted to turn City black cars 'green', said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on 18th June. The Commission today approved our proposal to boost fuel efficiency standards in the black cars that service corporate clients to a level currently achievable only by using hybrid technology.
The vote followed an earlier one in December to require the citys 23,000 licensed yellow cabs to reach a minimum 30 mpg by 2012. Black limos are now required to increase their current average 12-15 mpg to 25 mpg next year and to 30 mpg in 2010. The city administration estimates that the emissions of the 10,000 black limos that operate in New York City, accounting for some 2% of the citys CO2 emissions, will be cut in half.
The NYC legislature failed last month to vote in congestion pricing proposals backed by Mayor Bloomberg, which would have raised nearly $500 million annually for mass transit improvements in the city, and brought in $354 million in immediate federal funds.
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