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For Immediate Release: 12/15/2022 Rory M. Christian, Chair Contact:
James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
22116/22-G-0644 December 15, 2022
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PSC Initiates Enforcement Proceeding Against National Grid for Apparent Delayed Response to Gas System Issues |
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Commission Acts to Ensure Safety of Brooklyn’s Bergen Beach Gas System ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today ordered National Grid’s downstate gas business to show within 30 days why civil penalties should not be imposed by the Commission for the apparent violations related to the avoidable delay in replacing a natural gas pipeline in the Bergen Beach area in Brooklyn.
“The safety and reliability of our gas distribution system is a priority concern of the Commission,” said Commission Chair Rory M. Christian. “Instead of a proactive, holistic response to a pattern of leaking underground facilities, National Grid repeatedly chose reactive responses limited to singular leak incidents, apparently without conducting a comprehensive assessment to determine why multiple leaks were reoccurring in a particular neighborhood.”
The Department of Public Service’s (Department) Office of Investigations and Enforcement, in conjunction with gas safety experts at the Department, completed an initial investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the replacement of a natural gas pipeline.
National Grid discovered active corrosion on the Bergen Beach gas pipeline at issue on December 6, 2019. The regulatory deadline to replace the corroded pipeline and associated service upgrades, was December 6, 2021. However, National Grid did not complete the required remediation of corroded pipeline in the Bergen Beach area until May 17, 2022 — 162 days past the deadline.
The sandy soil composition and unique geological history of the Bergen Beach community caused subterranean voids to form in and around National Grid's underground gas pipeline facilities. Instead of recognizing these underground voids as a catalyst for the company's immediate remedial response, National Grid apparently responded with repeated, and avoidable, delays.
National Grid employees were actively working in the Bergen Beach area over a seven-year period before December 9, 2019, yet no proactive steps were taken to address, or even investigate, the signs of sinking surfaces and subterranean issues in the neighborhood.
Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 22-G-0644 in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.
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