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We examine the environmental and policy impacts of switching from oil-fired to natural gas-fired generation in New York City (NYC). We create an hourly panel of the fuel use of NYC's generators and use a semi-parametric approach to identify the fuel-price spread that induces the switch from oil to gas. We find that NYC's pollution emissions decrease significantly after generators switch to natural gas. Around two-thirds of these emission reductions come from reduced emission intensity within plants, while the remaining third comes from less intense dispatch of oil fired generators. To illustrate the policy impact, we simulate the introduction of a real time pricing (RTP) program in NYC. The results suggest that the environmental benefits of the RTP decreased by nearly 30% due largely to fuel switching. While we focus on RTP, these results can be used to evaluate any energy policy that has a heterogeneous impact across time or the demand profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As with many urban environments, a number of sources of airborne elemental mercury (Hg°) exist in New York City, yet little research has been conducted to examine the flux and sources of mercury in New York. In this study, we conducted ambient monitoring of Hg° at six locations in New York City. Airborne Hg° averaged 3.84±0.10 ng m-3 and 3.70±0.08 ng m-3 in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn respectively, yet only 2.69±0.03 ng m-3 in a more residential neighborhood in Queens. Both precipitation and ambient temperature were significantly correlated with ambient Hg° levels in New York City, suggesting that the surface emission of mercury from urban surfaces plays a role in urban Hg° concentrations. Local sources were also seen to contribute to urban Hg° levels by leading to `spikes' of Hg° in which elevated concentrations were recorded for short periods of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]