Whats News Breaking: Friday, August 13, 2021

August 13, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GAS RATE HIKE SLASHED: The NY State Public Service Commission, in its three-year rate plan for National Grid’s downstate gas companies, has dramatically slashed the rate hike that the utility giant requested. The rates are frozen in first year, with increases limited to 2 percent in the second and third years. The commission adopted and modified a joint proposal signed by the companies, department staff, environmental groups and business groups that, among other things, contains provisions that promote energy efficiency, demand response, geothermal deployment, and electrification options to meet customers’ energy needs while working to lower natural gas demand and further minimize the need for additional gas infrastructure.

Downstate companies under the National Grid umbrella include the Brooklyn Union Gas Company (KEDNY) and KeySpan Gas East Corp. (KEDLI).

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PSC AGREEMENT EXCLUDES PIPELINE FUNDING: Two major events impacted the development of the Public Service Commission’s joint proposal with National Grid: the enactment into law of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act [CLCPA] and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The CLCPA sets forth New York’s nation-leading policy goals in the fight against global climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions from extraction and combustion of fossil fuels and other activities. Importantly, the adopted joint agreement does not include funding for the last phase of the controversial Metropolitan Reliability Infrastructure (MRI) project, a 7-mile natural gas distribution pipeline in North Brooklyn, and instead temporarily discontinues construction of the last phase.

The proposal also requires the gas companies to first meet metrics, or goals, on demand-reducing initiatives before seeking cost recovery of this and other infrastructure projects.

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CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE BACK-TO-SCHOOL HEALTH PROTOCOLS: As the number of infection cases in children continues rising, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn’s parish elementary schools and academies will have new COVID-19 safety protocols in place when the new school opens on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The New York State Department of Health recommends, in the absence of a mandate at this time, that school districts adopt universal indoor masking for all, based on guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Therefore, Catholic academies and parish schools in Brooklyn and Queens will require all students, faculty, and staff members to wear masks beginning on the first day of school.

School officials will continue to encourage vaccinations, social distancing, hand washing and hand hygiene, while maintaining the rigorous daily cleaning and sanitizing of facilities as well as enhanced ventilation.

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GROUNDBREAKING FOR NEW HOMES IN BED-STUY: Ground was broken on Thursday for the Bed-Stuy North & Central Phase I development in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a project that will create 11 homes on 13 scattered lots, consisting of nine (9) three-family and two (2) two-family buildings, with a total of 31 residential units, located on Bainbridge Street, Chauncey Street and Patchen Avenue, Rochester and Bergen avenues, and Buffalo and Atlantic avenues. SRBuild is the developer for what will be the fourth project to be financed through HPD’s Open Door program. It will provide both affordable homeownership and rental options.

Participating in the groundbreaking were representatives of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) and SRBuild, LLC, as well as City Councilmember Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.

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GOOD NEWS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS: UnitedHealthcare will pay approximately $14.3 million in restitution to consumers affected by its policies that excluded mental health and substance abuse disorder treatments from coverage. New York Attorney General Letitia James and the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) brokered landmark agreements to resolve allegations that the health care insurance giant unlawfully denied health care coverage for mental health, including psychotherapy, and substance abuse disorder treatment for thousands of Americans. As a result of these agreements, New York and federal law requires health insurance plans to cover mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment the same way they cover physical health treatment.

As part of this agreement, UnitedHealthcare will pay $9 million to more than 20,000 New Yorkers with behavioral health conditions who received denials or reductions in reimbursement.

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DON’T BEGRUDGE THOSE MOVIE SET TRUCKS: The film production industry has proven to be a major boost in New York City’s economic recovery, according to a report that the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) released on Thursday. This NYC Film and Television Industry Economic Impact Study 2021 provides details on the film and television industry’s significance and contribution to New York City’s economy. The industry was already at a pinnacle in 2019, creating approximately 185,000 jobs, $18.1 billion in wages and $81.6 billion in total economic output. Notwithstanding COVID-19’s impact, in which TV and film productions were shut down from March-June 2020, the industry has been coming back strong.

Overall production has reached pre-pandemic levels, with at least 34 projects filming on the ground throughout the five boroughs by the end of August 2021. The groundbreaking report arrives just as New York City begins to recover from the pandemic.