Mayor Bloomberg’s master plan to make every yellow taxi go green has come to a screeching halt.
The US Supreme Court ended a four-year legal battle yesterday by refusing to hear the city’s appeal of two lower-court decisions that struck down the mayor’s mandate forcing cab operators to buy fuel-efficient hybrids.
The courts had sided with the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, which represents hundreds of taxi-fleet owners, by ruling that it’s up to federal agencies — not local officials — to regulate fuel-economy and emissions standards.
“We are disappointed that the US Supreme Court decided not to clarify a law that has very large nationwide environmental implications,” said city Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo.
Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Bloomberg said that he plans to lobby Congress to change the law, and noted that a dozen local governments had joined in the city’s appeal.
“The cities are those that are addressing real-world problems, like climate change and energy policy,” he said. “The federal government seems unable to address those issues.”
About one-third, or 4,400, of the city’s 13,237 taxis are gas-electric hybrids, and many of the hybrids are driven by hacks who own their vehicles rather than lease them from fleets.
Most city taxis are gas-guzzling Ford Crown Victorias, but those will be gone by 2014. Taxi officials are holding a contest to select a new model to replace all of the city’s cabs.
And under the court rulings, even that “taxi of tomorrow” doesn’t have to be fuel-efficient.
Michael Woloz, a spokesman for the MTBT, called the victory “bittersweet.”
He said the industry supports fuel efficiency, but the city policy would have made it “impossible” for fleets to find cars that could endure wear and tear.
In the long run, he said, that compromises safety.