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COURIER L 18 IFE, OCT. 18-24, 2019
Cuomo to Nat Grid:
Pass the gas
Gov demands gas supplier hook up more than
1,000 customers despite supply woes
Onishka Camarena fi nished construction of her Mexican restaurant in Prospect Lefferts
Garden in May, but was unable to open because of National Grid’s moratorium on new customers.
Photo by Derrick Watterson
BY BEN VERDE
Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered
National Grid on Friday to provide
more than 1,100 new customers with
gas following an investigation into
the British-based utility company,
which has refused to hookup new patrons
amid a months-long standoff
with the state over a hotly contested
pipeline project.
“It is the fundamental responsibility
of our utilities to provide reliable
service,” Cuomo said. “Make no mistake
– New York will hold National
Grid accountable.”
The gas provider, which operates
under a state-granted monopoly in
Brooklyn, Queens and parts of Long
Island, announced a moratorium of
new customers in late May — shortly
after state regulators nixed a controversial
scheme to construct a 23-mile
gas pipeline off the coast of Coney Island.
Cuomo’s demands only extend to
the 1,100 New Yorkers who the gas
provider refused to reconnect after
they temporarily shut off their
gasoline service, and do not apply to
brand new customers, who will remain
without gas for the time being.
Many state leaders have accused
National Grid of strong-arming the
state into green-lighting the pipeline
by holding gas customers hostage.
The utility company could face
millions of dollars in fi nes resulting
from the investigation — which centers
on whether the company properly
planned to meet the needs of New
Yorkers during the winter, according
to the Governor’s offi ce.
Assemblyman Robert Carroll (DPark
Slope) — a frequent critic of National
Grid since they launched their
moratorium — lauded the Governor’s
decision and called on Attorney General
Letitia James to further investigate
National Grid.
“I applaud the Governor for fi -
nally standing up to National Grid
and calling them out on their mendacious,
disingenuous campaign to
deny people natural gas,” Carroll
said. “What they are really trying to
do is coerce the state into approving
the Williams Pipeline.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes
(D–Bay Ridge) also praised Cuomo’s
decision, but called for additional
action on behalf of completely new
customers.
“We still need to determine if
there are more eligible residents
whose service must be restored and
wait for the results of the larger investigation,”
Gounardes said.
A National Grid spokeswoman
said they company is disappointed in
the state’s decision, and it will look
into temporary solutions to reconnect
customers.
“We stand by our analysis and
there are very real gas supply constraints
in the northeast,” said
Karen Young. “In the meantime, we
have been working to identify unprecedented
temporary solutions to
help mitigate the situation and will
immediately begin connecting the
more than 1,100 applicants who have
been identifi ed in the order.”
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