12 OCTOBER 17, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Gov. Cuomo not fi nished with National Grid
For more than six months, National
Grid refused natural gas service to
more than 1,100 new and returning
customers as part of a moratorium
the company imposed in response to
continued opposition to the $1 billion
Williams pipeline project, which was
denied a permit by the state’s Department
of Environmental Prevention
over concerns it would contaminate
New York Harbor.
Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
drew a line in the sand, ordering
the utility company to comply with
the Public Service Law or face
millions of dollars in fines. It was
a line National Grid did not cross,
as it reversed course and lifted its
moratorium hours after Cuomo laid
down the law.
The company took immediate steps
to re-connect customers in Queens,
Brooklyn and Long Island who had
inactive accounts, or who applied for
gas service and were denied during
the “connection restrictions policy”
that went into effect last May.
“We care and are concerned for all
customers impacted by this issue,
and it’s clear we could have done a
EDITORIAL
better job communicating to this
particular segment of customers,”
National Grid New York President
John Bruckner said.
He added that the company objective
was to contact all 1,157 customers
outlined in the order by the end of
the week to schedule a re-connection
appointment based on their needs,
with the goal of reconnecting the
majority of the customers by mid-
November.
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible
given the current constraints on gas
supply,” Bruckner said.
The governor took umbrage with
Buckner’s claim and National Grid’s
basic premise for the moratorium
in the first place — that without the
Williams pipeline bringing fracked
natural gas from Pennsylvania to a
terminus a few miles off the coast
of Rockaway Beach, the company
would not have adequate supply for
any new customers.
When he issued his order, Cuomo
pointed out that the Williams pipeline,
if permitted, would not be in
service until December 2020 at the
earliest.
“It’s a little coincidental that all
of a sudden National Grid ran out
of gas at the same time that they’re
trying to create political pressure to
approve the pipeline,” Cuomo said
during a radio interview on Oct. 15.
He said the Department of Public
Service would expand its investigation
into National Grid’s potential
negligence given that New York is
entering the cold-weather period.
There could be penalties as
well, the governor warned. “And
by the way, they can have their
franchise revoked,” Cuomo added
authoritatively.
Perhaps, National Grid went a
bridge too far with its moratorium
considering Cuomo already broke
ground on his $1.18 billion Belmont
Park redevelopment project that
was designed to be heated by natural
gas.
As new commercial customers,
the 19,000-seat hockey arena that
will be the new home of the New
York Islanders, and a 250-room hotel
would be denied connection by
National Grid.
The alternative was huge underground
propane tanks and that was
something that didn’t sit well with
the surrounding community.
“That’s what you came up with?
Propane?” Tammie Williams, of the
Belmont Park Community Coalition
asked recently. “You want to put a
bomb in a black neighborhood? I
don’t think so.”
THE HOT TOPIC
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ZACHARY GEWELB
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporters
ANGELICA ACEVEDO
EMILY DAVENPORT
CARLOTTA MOHAMED
MAX PARROT
BILL PARRY
© 2019 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC.
General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, NY 11361
TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503
FAX: 1-718-224-5441
E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com
WEB SITE: www.qns.com
ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
FOR 110 YEARS
COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving
ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This
newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion
and only for that portion of the ad in which the error
appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make
sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection
Law or any other requirement. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is
Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member
Of The New York Press Association
STORY:
Glendale’s long-standing Zum Stammtisch
restaurant off ers a delicious
taste of traditional German cuisine
SUMMARY:
Serving up delicious Bavarian cuisine
in Glendale for almost 50 years,
Zum Stammtisch has certainly lived
up to its German translation: the
regulars’ table.
REACH:
19,634 people reached (as of
10/15/19)
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.qns.com
link
/www.qns.com
link
