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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, DECEMBER 1, 2019
No-moratorium
National Grid to lift gas embargo
BY JESSICA PARKS
National Grid announced that
it will immediately resume connecting
Brooklyn customers to
natural gas on Monday — ending
a six-month standoff between
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the
British-based utility company
that left thousands of residents
without heat.
“This agreement is a victory
for customers,” Cuomo said. “National
Grid will pay a signifi cant
penalty for its failure to address
the supply issue, its abuse of its
customers, and the adverse economic
impact they have caused.”
National Grid implemented a
moratorium on new gas hookups
for new customers in May, shortly
after state regulators nixed plans
for a 23-mile long gas pipeline off
of the Coney Island coast.
Elected offi cials overwhelmingly
accused the company of
holding New Yorkers hostage in
an effort to get permission for the
pipeline — including in a letter
penned by 17 Council members
in July.
And the embargo on new customers
was particularly devastating
for Kings County entrepreneurs,
including many would-be
business owners who were unable
to open their doors due to
lack of gas.
The Interim President of National
Grid — which runs a stategranted
monopoly in Brooklyn,
Queens and parts of Long Island
— hit back on the strong-arming
accusations, arguing that the
moratorium was a necessary evil
spurred by supply shortages that
would inevitably come if the pipeline
was not built.
“Every decision we make is
driven by National Grid’s commitment
to provide safe and reliable
service to our customers,
including the decision to implement
the moratorium,” said Badar
Khan. “We understand the
frustrations of everyone who experienced
a delay in service during
this period and regret that we
did not provide more notice or explanation
to our customers about
the moratorium.”
The parties reached the new
agreement to resume gas hookups
amid calls for state regulators
to strip National Grid of their
state-granted monopoly status —
which Cuomo had threatened to
do if new customers continued to
be denied service.
Under the newly struck deal,
the utility giant will present solutions
to meet long-term supply
needs throughout the company’s
coverage areas — with a June
2020 deadline to identify a plan,
slated to be implemented by Fall
2021.
Also, National Grid has agreed
to pay a $36 million penalty to
compensate customers who were
adversely impacted by the moratorium
and to support energy-effi
ciency measures and clean gas
solutions.
To ensure that National Grid
respects the newly forged agreement,
the state has appointed an
independent monitor to oversee
gas supply operations which will
be paid for by the gas company.
National Grid ended its moratorium on natural gas hookups after reaching an
agreement with Governor Andrew Cuomo. Photo by Jessica Parks
New manufacturing campus will create 1,500 jobs: city
BY BEN VERDE
A massive new clothing
manufacturing center
is coming to Brooklyn’s
Bush Terminal
— and bringing 1,500 new
jobs along when it opens
in 2021, according to city
reps.
Manufacturing honchos
at Made in New
York — a branch of the
qua si - government a l ,
pro-development group,
the Economic Development
Corporation — announced
the 200,000
square foot manufacturing
complex, which will
house between 20 and 30
clothes-making companies
along the First Avenue
waterfront near 50th
Street.
Currently, garment
makers comprise 30-percent
of all manufacturing
jobs citywide, and the
neighborhood surrounding
the planned facility is
home to the second most
garment manufacturers
in all five boroughs
— making this the ideal
spot for a sprawling new
industrial complex, according
to development
honchos.
The new facility will
include a 5.3-acre promenade
with public access
along the shoreline, according
to the architect
behind the planned public
space.
“We are pleased to be
part of the team which
will open this significant
historic campus to the
public, and create a more
sustainable and accessible
waterfront in Brooklyn,”
said Barbara Wilks
of W Architecture.
With the hotly debated
rezoning of nearby Industry
City, many community
activists have
pushed for more manufacturing
jobs in the
area, which is zoned as
an Industrial Business
Zone along the Brooklyn
waterfront.
Activists say the jobs
are both more accessible
to the largely workingclass
immigrant community
and pay better than
the retail jobs Industry
City has offered as an incentive
for their rezoning.
However, many locals
say the city’s inability
to provide the details
on compensation for
the 1,500 promised jobs
makes them hard to get
excited about.
“How do they expect
The campus will include a public waterfront realm. Courtesy of W Architecture
the average workingclass
immigrant Sunset
Park resident to answer
that question ‘Are these
the types of jobs that we
need’ when we don’t even
know the salary information?”
said Jorge Muñiz
Reyes, a community organizer.
“This is just part
of a larger pattern of big
promises being made to
a neighborhood without
any factual basis to back
up those bold claims.”