Governor Cuomo orders national grid to immediately connect to 1,157 customers after CBS2 reporting – CBS New York

For several months, CBS2 has brought stories of families and business owners who have paid for natural gas.

They were used as pawns in a battle between New York and National Grid.

Now, Cuomo has told National Grid that they need to get more than 1100 customers back online now.

CBS2 demanded answers, and now it's dramatic action.

Marcia Kramer from CBS2 has been at the top of this story from the beginning. After she demanded answers from Cuomo, he promised an investigation.

Sometimes truth was spoken to power plants, and in this case, Cuomo took swift action to help more than 1[ads1],100 small business owners and residential customers in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.

But National Grid is not off the hook. There will be a new investigation into corporate negligence, and the energy company could be on the hook for millions of penalties for failing to connect existing residential customers with natural gas as required by the Public Service Act.

They were pipeline wells. ] It was the owner of a Vietnamese restaurant in Bensonhurst.

“Every night I can't sleep. I'm thinking of the restaurant. No gasoline, and my dream of a future gone, "Peter Lee said.

It was a homeowner of Park Slope.

" We have nowhere to go. The lease is up in about a month. We have no more money left. We have to move into our house, "said Julie Levin.

It was the United Chinese Associations in Bensonhurst, without gasoline, 500 elderly people will not be fed.

" We cannot have lunch in our center because We can't open the center for them, "said Ansen Tang.

And the owner of Il Pozzo Wine Bar and Kitchen in Lynnbrook.

" My fears would lose money or shut down, "said owner Dominic Natoli. [19659002] Now they can be pipelines.

Web Extra – Brooklyn Family speaks out on Cuomo's national grid:

The State Public Service Commission has ordered National Grid to immediately connect natural gas pipelines for 1,157 private customers and small business owners refused affiliation during a moratorium declared by the company as it struggles with the state to build a new pipeline.

Web Extra – More Families Delight in Learning Their Gasoline Will Finally Turn Down On By Nati onal Grid:

"It is the fundamental responsibility of our tools to provide reliable service," Cuomo said Friday. “National Grid has acted in bad faith through this process – first by refusing over 1100 qualified customers to have service and now by failing to fulfill its primary responsibility. Today, National Grid is ordered to connect the 1,100 customers immediately, and I have asked [the Department of Public Service] to extend the ongoing investigation to include potential negligence in not preparing for the months ahead. Make no mistake, New York will make National Grid responsible. ”

Some 3,700 customers have been denied service. State officials tell CBS2 that those who receive the service immediately are those whose service was inactive for some reason – turned off to do renovations, for example.

But the state also ordered National Grid to make investments in energy efficiency and take demand reducing measures that could allow the company to provide services to many more who were told "no gasoline for you."

How did this come about? Kramer simply demanded an answer from Cuomo.

"I wonder what you say to people who can't open their apartments and houses because they turned off the gas to do renovations, and National Grid won't let them turn it back on," Kramer asked.

"No tools should do that," Cuomo said.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Kramer asked.

Cuomo's response came Friday. In addition to the immediate connections, the governor asked the State Department of Public Service to determine if the company was negligent, did not plan for customers' gas needs this winter, and failed to anticipate demand. They face millions of dollars in fines.

As Cuomo said when Kramer originally asked him about it:

"If you say that there are current gas clients who are being denied gasoline, it is a health and safety violation."

"We are obviously disappointed NY PSC's order issued today, we stand by our analysis and there are very real restrictions on gas supply in the northeast, National Grid said in a statement. "In the meantime, we have been working to identify outstanding temporary solutions to remedy this situation. , and will immediately begin to connect the more than 1,100 applicants identified in the order. "

Chaya Horowitz is part of a family of nine who were denied a connection by National Grid. When CBS2's Jessica Moore told Chaya the news Friday , she thanked CBS2 for demanding answers, and narrowed down National Grid for using families like hers as a pipeline pledge.

"I was really excited. And I want to thank CBS for being the only one who works and helps people because it's crazy, really crazy that a company can get away with it, "she said.

Kramer also asked a governor's spokesman whether National Grid could replaced, losing monopoly because of what happened.

She was told "It's just too early in the process to tell."

National Grid – which has declined repeated offers from CBS2 for an on-camera interview – has said it refused service to thousands of customers, claiming a gas shortage, all the while battling with the state for a new pipeline, saying "any incremental gas load will aggravate today's supply shortage."

Finally, a statement in today's situation and New York's order to connect customers' gas pipelines:

National Grid's proposed pipeline, if approved, would not be in service until next year.