Some environmentalists, worried about upstate residents, want to wait.
At least four other upstate residents died after heart attacks while shoveling snow.
The first city environmental commissioner to seek compromise with upstate residents, he has argued there must be a solution that all can accept.
But he tried to adapt to the interests of upstate residents and even tried the personal touch, with mixed results.
At the same time, as the regional economy boomed, many upstate residents found little appeal in the idea of taking trash from the big city.
This growth has done nothing to help upstate residents, he said.
The survey found that 20 percent of upstate residents planned to leave in the next five years, about twice the average for other regions.
But while he called a higher gas tax "unfair" to upstate residents, he did not rule it out.
The tighter controls greatly concern upstate residents, who worry about their cost and impact on the economy.
Over the summer and early fall, strong opposition by upstate residents put government and private supporters on the defensive.