Brownsville saw the start of the 6.8-mile-long pipeline’s construction in 2018, and the project quietly progressed toward North Brooklyn where local residents say that they were only recently informed of the plan.
Construction of a 6.8-mile natural gas pipeline stretching from Brownsville to North Brooklyn has hit a wall in Greenpoint, where community leaders and elected officials are vying to halt the project as it reaches its final stage.
The National Grid gas main — which has been in the works since 2017 — would supply fracked gas from Pennsylvania, where the extraction is legal. The controversial practice was banned in New York state in 2014.
On Saturday, a community coalition of environmental advocacy groups, schools, and social justice groups will host a rally at the pipeline’s latest construction site, the intersection of Moore Street and Manhattan Avenue.
“I am familiar with the history of environmental devastation in my neighborhood,” said Kevin LaCherra, a third-generation Greenpointer who is helping organize the rally. “We need our elected officials to be taking bold steps to bring renewables on now.”
The pipeline opponents are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to stop the project on the grounds that it goes against both the state and the city’s clean energy goals.
“This is not the kind of system we want any more,” Kim Fraczek, director of the Sane Energy Project, an environmental advocacy group, told THE CITY. “This industry doesn’t have the interests of the community at heart.”
Their claims are quickly gaining momentum: On Tuesday, Brooklyn’s Community Board 1, which includes Greenpoint, voted unanimously to stop any construction of the pipeline.
Advocates say they have the support of every single elected official who represents North Brooklyn at the state and city level, from City Councilmembers Stephen Levin and Antonio Reynoso, to State Sen. Julia Salazar and veteran Assemblymember Joe Lentol.
Levin, Reynoso and Lentol all confirmed to THE CITY they oppose the pipeline’s construction, Salazar did not return requests for comment. Continue reading →
An ongoing gas leak on Moultrie Street isn’t just a literal and figurative headache to neighbors. It’s also raising concerns over the prospect of worse complications, including the ghost of National Grid Bureaucratic Nightmares Yet To Come.
Local resident Thomas Handschiegel notified Greenpointers about the leak, which he says has been festering for over a month, and to little avail from National Grid.
Large cut-outs in the street in front of 15 Moultrie Street — plus a strong lingering odor — are “extremely disconcerting given the fact that there are a lot of smokers in the area, and it appears to be a disaster waiting to happen,” said Handschiegel. Continue reading →
Martin S. Needleman, ESQ - Chief Counsel Brooklyn Legal Services
(Sponsored) At Greenpointers, we are passionate about promoting local environmental sustainability, so when we saw National Grid’s ‘B’ Green Challenge, which awards local businesses for becoming more energy efficient, it was important that we help spread the word to local Greenpoint and North Brooklyn businesses.
There are so many simple and easy ways to make your business more energy efficient and the great part is, it will help your business to save money – and win prizes!
National Grid has teamed up with Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets in order to promote energy efficiency among small businesses in Brooklyn and a new winning business is named each month.
By participating in the ‘B’ Green Challenge and letting them know the steps you have taken to become a greener business, you have a chance to also win a lot of awesome prizes, like tickets to Nets games or any event at the new Barclays Center, a signed Deron Williams basketball and a signed Joe Johnson poster!
We were recently invited to the award ceremony at Brooklyn Legal Services, which recently won the ‘B’ Green Challenge by doing things like sealing air leaks around windows and repairing their roof, improvements which had a 20% reduction in their energy costs.
It was a special award for Brooklyn Legal Services because they have been working with local organizations toward the construction of green affordable housing and provide free legal services to low-income residents, community groups and non-profit organizations of Brooklyn for over 45 years. Paul J. Acinapure, Esq. spoke about why the award was such an honor for Brooklyn legal Services:
It is particularly meaningful to us to get a green or sustainable recognition because we represent individual and community based organizations through Brooklyn that are local non-for profits that create affordable housing, run day care centers, run healthcare centers. We’ve represented them for decades in terms of doing their legal work in connection with greening and sustainability. In 2008 we created a green building law and justice project for those community organizations that we represent that are committed to greening and sustainability in the work that they do in their neighborhoods.
Now it’s your turn to make your business more energy efficient!
To participate in National Grid’s ‘B’ Green Challenge Register here: barclayscenter.com/bgreenchallenge. The first 100 businesses to register for the Challenge will receive a free do-it-yourself energy efficient item, a programmable thermostat, pipe insulation or weather stripping.
The winning business receives tickets to a Nets game or Barclay’s Center event, autographed Nets memorabilia, a plaque and recognition on Barclayscenter.com.
