Environmental activists rallied in front of the state Department of Environmental Conservations headquarters Tuesday morning to demand that the agency stop National Grids plan for new natural gas infrastructure to their Greenpoint depot.
Two years ago, the British energy company applied for less restrictive permits for air pollution. This would have allowed them to construct two new Liquified natural Gas vaporizers at their Maspeth Avenue facility.
Community activists and members of the public have opposed the permits at every opportunity, claiming that the new vaporizers would not be compatible with the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Acts and that the company has failed in this regard. It is important to properly assessThe environmental impact of the new vape pens.
National Grid stated that the new vaporizers which convert stored liquid gas into a vapour are necessary to better meet customer needs. The vaporizers only work on the coldest days of each year, and are often turned on for a few weeks every winter.
The DEC has delayed its decision on whether or to delay permits almost as long theyve been fighting. Getting permissionNational Grid extended the deadline to gather community feedback and new information.
On April 5, organizers met to tell DEC that they were tired of waiting. They want the agency not to issue a no and they want it to do so by May 7, the most recent deadline.
Don’t delay and deny the permit! The No North Brooklyn Pipeline Coalition released a statement saying that environmental justice communities have been poisoned for decades by the fossil fuel sector in North Brooklyn. We are once again Remind the Governor and DEC that communities in need are living near this polluting fracked-gas facility. The climate crisis is now. Denial is a sin that costs lives and will be punished in 2022.
National Grid did no immediate comment on the protest.
Coalition members wore pink scrub suits and white scrubsuits, and laid them down in formation in front DECs Long Island City headquarters. After spelling out NO LNG with the bodies of their bodies, they stood in front doors of the building with banners and gave flyers to employees who came into the building.
The activists demanded that the DEC close down the North Brooklyn Pipeline’s completed sections, also known as Metropolitan Natural Gas Reliability Pro, which runs through the borough, from Brownsville to Greenpoint.
After a coalition of community groups filed a complaint, two federal agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation opened investigations into the project. civil complaintNational Grid and the DEC are accused of violating civil rights laws.
The DEC was Most recentNational Grid was asked to reconsider the decision. ExtendThe deadline was extended by three month just one week before the decision was due. It was due to ongoing efforts to read and respond publicly to comments.
DEC requested National Grid to provide an updated CLCPA analysis a few days before asking for a extension.
The department stated in a Jan. 24 letter that if new vaporizers were found not to comply with climate guidelines, it would need justification for the project and a plan to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases emissions.
Brooklyn Paper has been informed that DEC is currently reviewing the CLCPA analysis by National Grid, which addresses future and present greenhouse gas emissions. National Grid proposes alternative or mitigation methods to reduce the impact of this project’s emissions upon neighboring environmental justice communities.
The letter asked several questions about the project. It noted that National Grid had already identified some mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they may not have been sufficient. DEC asked the company if they could provide additional mitigation measures. They indicated that these could be technological in nature, financial, operational or physical.
National Grid was also asked by the department to clarify whether or not the cities were included in its calculations. Newly-enacted banNew gas hookups would decrease demand, and thus the need for new vaporizers. To confirm that the project is necessary to improve service reliability, and not increase the gas storage at the Greenpoint facility, it will be necessary to confirm that the project is necessary to verify the project.
Last fall, DEC denied permits at two natural gas facilities in Astoria, Newburgh. They claimed the projects violated CLCPA and that the infrastructure was not necessary.
NRG Energy, Danskammer Energy and other companies behind the applications are looking to AppealThe decisions.
National Grid stated in a December 2021 report that if permits for the Greenpoint Energy Centre are obtained by February 2022 the new vaporizers would be available by late 2023. The project would not be completed if delays continue, and it would not be complete until 2024. The report warns of the possibility of Not receivingThe DEC permits were high. However, a similar report six months earlier ranked medium the likelihood of not being granted permits.