UPDATE 02/17/2022
National Grid and The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) agreed to extend the February 7, 2022 deadline to March 7, 2022.
On the banks of Newtown Creek, across from National Grid’s Greenpoint Energy Center, local environmental activists, and elected leaders united to urge Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to deny permits for the facility’s request to upgrade their vaporizers. U.S. Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Carolyn Maloney, and NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler appeared in person at the rally, but other officials’ support was offered via their staff. The rally happened shortly after the Sane Energy Project delivered a petition containing over 11K signatures that urges the Governor and the DEC to deny the permits.
National Grid claims, “The combined output of the existing vaporizers is insufficient to meet the forecasted peak demand for upcoming winters. New vaporizers allow the facility to deliver its current annual capacity at a faster rate to meet demand, with redundancy in the event of an emergency.”
This permit approval has been brought to the DEC three times and each time the decision was delayed. On February 7 the DEC is scheduled to make the final decision. March 7 is the current deadline for permit approval.
In late October 2021, Governor Hochul applauded the DEC’s decision to deny Title V Permits to Danskammer Energy Center and Astoria Gas Turbine Power, LLC. She stated this was in accord with NY State’s clean energy transition and added, “Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and we owe it to future generations to meet our nation-leading climate and emissions reduction goals.”
“National Grid has yet to show any real need for these LNG vaporizers, but still they charge ahead with more and more investment in climate-killing technology,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. “As a city, state and nation we need to say no to fossil fuel investment and no to higher rates for consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez said, Communities of color, Brown and Black communities, have borne the brunt of environmental racism and environmental justice. We are here to say we are taking this no more. Governor Hochul and the Department of Environmental Conservation, honor the name of the department and deny this permit.”
“The last thing we need in Brooklyn is more fossil fuel infrastructure, especially as we are actively taking measures to move away from using gas in homes in the City of New York. It’s offensive that National Grid would attempt to place this new facility in an environmental justice community, next to public housing, where residents have already suffered from decades of industrial pollution. I call on Governor Hochul and NY State DEC to deny this permit application,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
The Greenline 