In May of 2019, National Grid instituted a moratorium on new gas connections. According to the company, they are facing a gas shortage that will impact their ability to provide gas to new customers, whilst maintaining the gas flow for current customers. The stated reason for this shortage is the recent denial from the Department of Environmental Conservation to an application for a new gas pipeline (known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline) that would stretch across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The pipeline was seen as controversial to environmentalists, who believe that the pipeline could have a detrimental impact on marine life and exacerbate climate change.

Councilman Chaim Deutsch said, “The ongoing moratorium imposed on new gas customers is having a huge impact on New York City residents. Nearly 3,000 customers are waiting for gas connections – these are private homeowners, renters, building developers, and even owners of affordable housing. The repercussions of this are far reaching, and over time, could have a long-lasting effect on New York City’s economic stability.

I urge Governor Cuomo to sit down with National Grid and his Department of Environmental Conservation and work together to develop a solution that ensures that New Yorkers do not continue to fall victim to this moratorium. State legislators must make this a priority, before this crisis becomes even more widespread.”

Noelle Picone, Surfrider Foundation said, “There is no gas crisis. National Grid is playing politics and everyday citizens are paying the price. We support a full investigation into Nation Grid’s phony moratorium.”

Issac Lati, a Sheepshead Bay resident said, “I’m at the end of the three-year process of renovating my property and it’s affecting me because we need to have gas and the whole house has no gas. We’re really screwed over here. I don’t know what to do- it’s affecting me in every way. I’ve been a National Grid customer all my life and we never knew anything about this deadline. What am I supposed to do with the house now? Everything will crack over the winter without heat and the money I’ve spent will be wasted.”

R.K. of North Brooklyn said, “After a lengthy negotiation process to sell a property to a new business coming into the North Brooklyn, we were unable to proceed with the deal because of this National Grid moratorium. The existing gas line in the facility is 3”, but the new business would require on that was closer to 5”. It’s inconceivable that such a small issue could result in the loss of thousands of dollars for multiple parties, all due to this arbitrary moratorium. There is no way to replace the lost time and money, and I’m confident that there are multiple property owners facing this challenge. Without a resolution to this gas service issue, storefronts will remain empty and the New York City economy will suffer.”

Sruli Eidelman, operator of “Izzy’s BBQ” in Crown Heights said, “There is no excuse, in the largest and wealthiest city in the world, for a family business to be destroyed by the state’s poor handling of its gas lines. I have helped the New York City economy by hiring people and providing a space for tourists and New Yorkers alike to experience this piece of American culture. Several of my family members and friends have invested their life savings into this business, and now, just as we were about to overcome all the previous hurdles, we were told that our gas would not be hooked up due to a poorly managed system. National Grid has been given the power to hold my business hostage until the state gives them what they want. As far as we are concerned, this mess was built by the state’s mismanagement and the amount of power it has given National Grid.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)