Locals and concerned environmental activists are invited to join a walking tour this evening, July 2, at 6 p.m. to learn more about National Grid’s presence in our neighborhood.
For years, Greenpoint residents have been fighting against the energy conglomerate National Grid and their plans to add two new fracked gas vaporizers to its Maspeth Avenue facility. Though they successfully staved off the expansion (and the subsequent rate hike that would have gone with it) in March 2023, that hasn’t stopped National Grid from continuing to push for more money from locals’ pockets—they returned with a new proposal just a month after the state’s Public Service Commission denied the project.
“If approved by the state utility regulators, the Public Service Commission (PSC), National Grid’s proposed bill increases would raise everyone’s bills in 2024 by an average of $30 monthly,” a press release for the event reads. “Bills would exponentially increase in 2025 and 2026, totaling about $67.00 more per month for an average customer’s bill for fracked gas infrastructure.”
Sane Energy Project, the non-profit that led the charge against the corporate behemoth, will host the tour alongside local elected officials (State Assembly Member Maritza Davila, City Council Member Lincoln Restler, and City Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez). The tour will examine the 120 acres of land that National Grid uses for liquefied natural gas (LNG) vaporizers and storage tanks.
Meet at the St. Mihiel Statue in the middle of McGolrick Park. Refreshments will be served.