Rate Hike Funding Controversial North Brooklyn Pipeline Approved

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A rate hike that will have 1.9 million New Yorkers pay for already-constructed parts of a controversial Brooklyn pipeline, along with other National Grid projects, has been approved by state officials.

The $125-per-year increase on downstate residents' gas bills was approved by the state Public Service Commission on Thursday, cementing a plan to have customers pay for the first phases of a pipeline in North Brooklyn that activists have vehemently opposed.

The final phase of the pipeline construction, which is pending review from an independent consultant, was not included in the rate agreement.

The approval comes after a coalition who have been fighting the installation of the pipeline — also known as the Metropolitan Natural Gas Reliability Project — launched a "gas bill strike," urging Brooklynites to withhold the $66 from their gas bills.

Activists have contended that the pipeline will exacerbate climate change and "puts the health and safety of predominantly Black and Brown working class neighborhoods at risk." The project, which is almost completed, will run fracked gas through Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

“The decision of the Public Service Commission today is a continuation of environmental racism,” said Gabriel Jamison, member of Brownsville Residents Green Committee. “...Our state and city agencies are in the pocket of National Grid, and therefore have not been doing their job. Since the state proved today that they do not believe black lives matter, the people have to take actions, organize and mobilize and shut this pipeline down.”

In a recommendation to the PSC, a judge said that the capital projects included in National Grid's infrastructure plan “do not harm disadvantaged communities," according to activists. The coalition contends, though, that there has never been any assessment to see if the pipeline would disproportionately harm disadvantaged communities.

The PSC noted that the rate hike approved this week is much lower than an increase that was originally proposed by gas companies in 2019.

National Grid has said the pipeline project will allow gas supply to move around more safely and efficiently.

"The Public Service Commission’s approval of the joint settlement on National Grid’s three-year investment plan will allow us to prioritize energy affordability while investing in programs necessary to maintain the safety and reliability of our natural gas networks and implement new programs to accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future," a spokesperson said Friday.

A slew of legislators, including, most recently, Mayor Bill de Blasio, have come out against the pipeline project.