For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 26, 2024
Media Contact: Jeff Ordower 314-267-4664, jeff.ordower@350.org or Kim Fraczek, 387-3180, Kim@saneenergy.org
You can watch the disruption on Instagram here and download via this link
Activists Disrupt National Grid Vice President Bryan Grimaldi
Demand National Grid stop its fracked gas network, support renewables and have fair rates
New York, September 26 – Activists, including moms with small children, from SANE Energy Project, No North Brooklyn Pipeline Alliance, the Climate Organizing Hub, and 350.org disrupted Bryan Grimaldi, Vice President of National Grid, while he was speaking at the Cornell Club about energy opportunities for private equity.
National Grid is the utility provider in three New York City boroughs and all of Long Island, and has been keeping its liquefied natural gas (LNG) fracking and export, while also forcing through a 30% rate hike through the regulators – activists disrupted the event to raise awareness, and demand action now.
“National Grid has no business being a panelist during Climate Week NYC. They raised the bills of New Yorkers already facing economic hardship in order to continue their toxic fracked gas network across New York. National Grid’s current Long Term Plan must only be a plan to retire its LNG storage and gas pipelines so we can build Thermal Energy Networks”, said Kim Fraczek of the SANE Energy Project
“We were here today to show that while National Grid purports to be climate heroes, they are poisoning all of us through their toxic fracked gas. Their 20-year plan which claims to get us off of fossil fuels, will keep us on methane through 2050,” added Margot Spindelman, No North Brooklyn Pipeline Alliance
“We cannot reach our clean energy goals until we tackle these fossil fuel utility companies. It is audacious that a company like National Grid continues to attempt these greenwashing schemes including acting as a sponsor at Climate Week NYC. What sustainable climate future do they have to talk about with a 30% rate hike holding working families hostage to continue to pay for fossil buildouts that will continue to poison their communities? These elite polluters can no longer be comfortable when their main agenda is to burn down the planet to suit their profit margins.” – Candice Fortin, 350.org
National Grid is a U.K.-based corporation and the largest liquefied natural gas importer in Europe and they are also one of the sponsors of Climate Week NYC. National Grid insists on prolonging the life of its fracked gas network, and its motivation to maintain and expand its gas infrastructure primarily benefits its corporate shareholders. Multiple independent consultants have thoroughly reviewed National Grid’s gas demand claims over several years and these assessments have consistently found that National Grid’s assertions regarding the necessity for additional gas infrastructure lack solid evidence and are unfounded. National Grid’s gas network perpetuates a racist legacy of polluting Black and Brown communities and contributing to the climate crisis. Its focus on decarbonization is centered on Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and hydrogen. There are well-documented features of RNG and hydrogen that qualify them as false solutions for replacing the gas we use in our homes and businesses.
Last month, during 350.org and People’s Action Week of Action, our partners at Sane Energy Project led a disruption at a Public Service Commission (PSC) rate case proceeding in Albany. The Commissioners, who serve to regulate and enforce laws for monopoly utilities, unanimously decided to approve National Grid’s proposal for a 30% rate hike to support fossil fuel expansions and replacement of infrastructure when our law requires a reduction in emissions. In addition, the affected communities demand the retirement of its fracked gas system and move to a thermal energy network system.
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