Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the American Lung Association, a leader in the fight for cleaner air and a partner in PlaNYC, today announced the American Lung Association's support for the Pickens Plan. Developed by T. Boone Pickens, the Pickens Plan focuses on reducing America's dependence on foreign oil by investing in renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, and promoting alternative fuel vehicles. The Mayor was joined at the announcement, which took place at a Sanitation Garage in Lower Manhattan, by Mr. Pickens and Steve Nolan, the Chairman of the Board of the American Lung Association. An array of low-emission vehicles, including natural gas powered sanitation collection trucks, hybrid police and fire department vehicles, and a Parks Department solar powered cart were on display at the event.

"Stopping the pollution that chokes our children's lungs, slowing the climate change that threatens their world, and investing in the kind of renewable energy that can be produced right here in America will ensure a greener, greater, healthier future for New York City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "New York City is putting some of the key concepts of the Pickens Plan into action. For instance, New York has been recognized as a national leader in the acquisition of low-emission vehicles, and our fleets make use of compressed natural gas, hybrid and solar power, and ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel to keep the City running."
 
"Every person is dependent upon clean air for health and vitality. Yet millions of Americans are consistently exposed to pollution at levels that are scientifically proven to be harmful. The American Lung Association applauds Mr. Pickens' goal of harnessing cleaner energy alternatives because cleaner energy will make our air healthier to breathe," said Steve Nolan, Chairman of the American Lung Association. "The American Lung Association is enthusiastic about engaging in this effort to build further support for the Pickens Plan. Cleaner energy, such as the wind and solar power that the Pickens Plan recommends, is a solution that we support."

"The American Lung Association tells me that well over 125 million people live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution," said Pickens. "Cleaner air is critical to the health and well-being of this country and I am thankful to have the support of this hundred year old organization. I set out with one goal when I launched the Pickens Plan: to reduce our dependency on foreign oil by at least 30 percent over the next decade. The Pickens Plan will work. It will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil using renewable energy resources like wind and solar and natural gas as a transportation fuel, but it will also enrich America by providing domestic jobs, creating a greener environment to live in, and importantly giving us cleaner air to breathe."

Since the introduction of PlaNYC, on Earth Day 2007, the City has launched more than 90 percent of the 127 initiatives laid out in the plan. PlaNYC is designed to address the challenges of a growing city with an aging infrastructure and an urban environment that remains at risk from pollution and the growing threat of global climate change. PlaNYC puts forth a strategy to reduce the City's greenhouse gas footprint, setting the goals of reducing New York City's citywide carbon emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and reducing City government's carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2017. The City worked closely with the American Lung Association in New York on the development and implementation of PlaNYC.