New York City is "making the Green New Deal come alive" through mandates that include banning "inefficient" glass and steel skyscrapers, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is also considering a run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said Monday.
"[We are] the first of any city on the Earth to say to building owners, clean up your act, retrofit, clean up," de Blasio told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"If you don't, there are serious fines, $1 million or more for the biggest buildings."
Those who want to build such structures must take steps to make them energy-efficient, the mayor said.
The city also plans to get all of its energy from renewable sources in the next five years, as it currently "uses as much energy in a year as do the people and the businesses of the state of Vermont."
Meanwhile, the mayor said he'll make his decision about running for the White House soon, but warned that Democrats must come to grips that Trump can "actually win" if they aren't strong, clear and progressive in their messages.
"We are not speaking enough to people's lives and the frustrations they are feeling," said de Blasio.
"There's an open opportunity for Democrats to do that, part of why we announced the big, bold ideas like the New York City Green New Deal. It's important to understand if you are not talking about people's everyday lives, if you are not talking about things they are feeling like global warming, don't be surprised if Donald Trump is back in the White House."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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