Communities have been fighting back against this pipeline for almost 2 years but in August, NYS approved National Grid’s plan to raise our monthly bills to pay for the pipeline and other harmful fossil fuel projects.

One way the community is fighting back is by launching a Gas Bill Strike to refuse to pay for the pipeline. 

Hundreds of people have pledged to not pay for the pipeline already. They are withholding $66 of their total bill, which is about how much the average National Grid customer’s bill will increase to pay for the pipeline.

Are you a National Grid customer and would you be interested in joining the gas bill strike? Because this isn’t a full bill strike and we’re still paying a portion of our bills there is a lot less risk but it could have a huge impact on our current unjust energy system!

Join the Strike!

FAQ’s

How do I participate?

If you are a downstate National Grid customer (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Southeast Queens or Long Island) sign this pledge and then withhold $66 the next time you pay your bill. THE TOTAL YOU WILL OWE TO NATIONAL GRID FOR THE DURATION OF THE STRIKE IS $66. For example, if  your bill is $100, you pay $34, leaving an unpaid balance of  $66. And if your next month’s bill is $166 ($100 in current charges, plus the $66 unpaid balance), you pay $100, leaving your total unpaid balance at $66.

Why a Gas Bill Strike?

National Grid raised our monthly bills to pay for the North Brooklyn fracked gas pipeline. We must refuse to pay for a pipeline that will harm Black and Brown working-class communities and our climate.

When did the strike start?

On June 1, 2021, we launched the National Grid Gas Bill Strike at a press conference in front of the National Grid U.S. Headquarters in downtown Brooklyn.

Will my gas get turned off? Will I be charged a penalty? What’s the risk?

National Grid has not turned off the gas of participants in the Gas Bill Strike. There is very little risk. Fees should be less than a dollar per month.

People have been striking since June 2021 and no one has had their gas shut off. However, National Grid has left us misleading voicemails and included information on bills to encourage customers to sign up for a payment plan. So far people have ignored the misleading messages and often the next month the message is gone.

By law,  National Grid can charge you a late fee of 1.5% of an unpaid bill–on $66 that’s less than a dollar. That’s the risk - a dollar fee. Also, as long as you are an active customer and still paying some of your bill every month, National Grid will not report you to collections, which would impact your credit score or turn off your gas.

National Grid recently resumed charging late fees. We are asking strikers who are financially able to pay the late fee and keep striking! However, we know that many people are not in a position to do this, and if you need to stop striking, that’s okay. Withholding money is just one part of the strike; you can still be involved in meaningful ways, e.g., recruiting your neighbors to join the strike! Become a No Pipeline Neighbor

How will National Grid know I’m on rate strike to protest the construction of this pipeline?

We launched the strike with a press conference on June 1, 2021 to explain that folks are withholding $66 to protest the pipeline, and we’ve made National Grid aware of the growing number of strikers at public hearings and through rate case comments. National Grid can also see the growing number of customers who are withholding $66 each month. They’ll start to notice people have unpaid balances of $66. Also we’ll provide them with updates on how many people have signed the pledge. 

While it's important that National Grid know, it’s  even more important to let your community know. Post on social media! Download images here, tag National Grid and use the hashtag #GasBillStrike. Email us at nonbkpipeline@gmail.org if you want to hang a Gas Bill Strike banner in your window! 

To drive the message home, you can also email or call customer service at National Grid let them know why you’re on strike.

What if my gas bill isn’t even $66 dollars a month? 

If your bill is that low, most likely you’re paying for cooking gas only;  gas for heating and hot water may be included in your rent. You can still participate in the strike! 

If your bill is less than $66 we recommend paying a small portion every month, say $6 each month until your balance due is $66. If at the end of the strike paying off a $66 bill would be challenging, you can withhold a total of $6.60 instead.

My National Grid and Con Ed bills have been crazy high this month and I need to go on a payment plan. Can I still strike? 

If you have to go on to a payment plan you’ll likely have to end the strike. But that’s okay! There are other ways to be involved in the strike, for example becoming a No Pipeline Neighbor to let your community know about the pipeline. 

The strike has always been about building power within our communities to take on National Grid, a gigantic corporation that places profit before people. We support legislation to change our energy system, but in the immediate moment we must stand up for each other. Please Let us know if there are other ways we can help make it possible for you to strike or better understand your utility bills.  

Are these high monthly bills because of the rate hike that was approved?

Sane Energy Project has produced a video explaining how the rate hike and gas price spikes are connected. 

But long story short - the big increases this winter were driven by the high cost of gas nationally and that’s reflected on the supply side of your bill. At the same time your bills have been creeping up steadily because of approved rate hikes - that’s the delivery side of your bill. 

Utilities and regulators say high bills aren’t their fault, but they are the ones who have approved and profited off the buildout of fracked gas infrastructure instead of renewable energy for the last ten years.  

I’m having trouble paying my bill what can I do? 

If you are currently struggling to pay your gas or electric bill you may qualify for relief through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). And our friends at the Public Utility Law Project can help with applying to HEAP or dealing with other utility issues. 

How is the $66 to be held? In escrow accounts? What are the “nuts and bolts” of this part of the plan?

You just leave a $66 unpaid balance every time you pay your gas bill. Since it’s only $66 there’s no need to put the money in escrow. There was a model of this kind of resistance in 1981 when a million Con Edison ratepayers withheld 10% of their monthly bills for a year, with no shutoffs, no penalties, in protest for poor management and the coverup of a leak at their Indian Point nuclear plant. At the end of that year Con Ed actually gave the customers credit for 90% of the money withheld.

Why withhold $66?

National Grid wants us to pay back the almost $129 million they spent on the North Brooklyn Pipeline in 2020 and 2021. Since there are 1.9 million downstate customers, we’ll each pay about $66 over time for the pipeline. By withholding $66 we are refusing to pay for the North Brooklyn Pipeline. 

Will this affect my credit score? 

No. Typically unpaid utility bills do not impact your credit score because utilities rarely report unpaid balances to collections. And National Grid has a long standing policy not to report active accounts to collections. So since you’re still paying a portion of your bill during the strike, it’s very very unlikely that National Grid would try to report the unpaid $66 to a collections agency. In the very unlikely case National Grid did try to retaliate and started reporting strikers to collections, the No NBK Pipeline Coalition would have your back and help you fight it.

How long is the strike? When will it end?

We’ll keep holding back the $66 until NYS overturns the rate hike or National Grid stops collecting money for the pipeline and shuts off the gas in phases 1-4. 

We have a goal to reach 1,000 strikers by June 1!

Has a strike like this ever been successful?

It took about a year for a similar strike against Con Ed. In 1981, utility giant ConEd charged customers for clean-up costs for their accident at Indian Point Nuclear Plant. Nearly 1 million New Yorkers withheld 10% of their bill, with a note to the utility stating they were on strike for the incident and the unjust rate hike for the company’s negligence. The increased charge was reimbursed to all customers, and the strikers claimed a victory.

We think we’ll need thousands of strikers to move NYS or National Grid, so we really need you to join the strike and help us recruit more strikers! How are we certain this will work? We’ve done it before! We Can Do It Again!

What if I’m on automatic billing? 

You’ll need to switch off automatic billing to be able to withhold the $66. And you might want to put a reminder in your phone to pay your bill so you don’t forget. 

What if my landlord pays my gas bill? 

Ask them to join the strike for your building! And it is the perfect way to start the larger conversation with your landlord about getting your building off gas. 

Also, if you don’t pay a gas bill or can’t strike for some other reason you can still contribute to the strike by asking 5 friends or neighbors to join! 

What if I have an ESCo like Clearview, Constellation, Spark, or Green Mountain Energy, etc.?

An ESCo (or Energy Service Company) is just a middle man between energy generation and your local utility. In New York City there are no ESCo’s for gas so if you subscribe to an ESCo that’s for your Con Ed bill. So you are still paying your gas bill to National Grid, and are 100% able to participate in the gas bill strike with us! It will not affect your subscription with your ESCo.

What are other reasons we should strike against the North Brooklyn pipeline?

Aside from being unnecessary infrastructure, over 40,000 public comments were filed opposing it, and every local, state, and federal elected officials from districts along the path of the pipeline, and the Mayor of NYC voiced opposition to it as well. NY state agencies and National Grid ignore public opinion expressed in comments, letters, rallies, and civil disobedience. Now, we know we need to hit them in the wallet, the one thing they pay attention to and withhold our money for their poisonous project.