National Grid said has reached an agreement with the State of New York to immediately lift its natural gas moratorium for all customers in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island for approximately the next two years. National Grid will therefore proceed to connect those customer applications put on hold due to the moratorium and start processing all new applications. The agreement also provides a "framework for resolving the longer-term energy supply issues." Within three months, National Grid has committed to present options to meet New York's long-term gas supply needs. It said, "Following a consultation process through a series of public meetings, final long-term options will be identified, that reflect the public input, and should be agreed with the State by June 2020. This will allow for safe and adequate construction of long-term options. As part of this agreement, National Grid will offer $7 million in customer assistance to address hardships arising from the moratorium, invest $8 million in demand response and energy efficiency programs and make an additional $20 million investment in clean energy projects and clean tech business investments. With this agreement, National Grid is released from claims that the Company's franchise or license should be revoked in connection with the moratorium and the matter opened by the Public Service Commission is resolved."
