It's now illegal for businesses to use air conditioners on the sidewalks of New York City. Some see government overreach—some see common sense energy efficiency measures.
Steven Mufson reports: "Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York city council just sent a chill down the spines of New York businesses: A new law forbids them from leaving their doors open when they have the air conditioning running."
As sampled by Mufson, the new legislation sparked an outcry of criticism from the peanut gallery on Twitter, who questioned the focus of the city's political leadership.
Mufson countered that critiques, anyway: "But there is little debate that letting cool air-conditioned air spill into the streets and skies of New York is a waste of energy, and the legislation in New York — enforcement mechanisms aside — attempts to help the city cut its energy use in the easiest ways possible, like energy efficiency."
Mufson also gave a hat tip to an article by Ana Swanson that provides a history of the country's addiction to air conditioning.
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