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Monday, March 18, 2024 | Back issues
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Contractor Sued Over 2012 Brooklyn Gas Spill

BROOKLYN (CN) - The New York contractor responsible for a 2012 natural gas spill in Canarsie better pay up, National Grid says in court, claiming that the cleanup cost it $2 million.

The Brooklyn Union Gas Co., now known as National Grid of NY, filed the complaint Monday in Kings County Court.

It claims to have hired Long Island-based Hallen Construction in 2012 to shore up old pipelines beneath the Paerdegat Basin, a channel that connects to Jamaica Bay in eastern Brooklyn.

Hallen was pumping concrete grout into the retired gas mains on Sept. 27 that year when natural gas liquid condensate leaked from the standpipe and into the neighborhood, according to the complaint

National Grid says the gas flowed into "nearby manholes, catch basins, storm drains and other containment structures, and into the Paerdegat Basin."

Claiming that it reached a $2 million settlement with the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation to clean up the mess, Hallen has wiped its hands of the job, National Grid says.

"To date, Hallen has refused to reimburse, indemnify, or defend National Grid in connection with the spill," the 13-page complaint states.

National Grid seeks damages for contract violations. It is represented by Thomas Crispi with Schiff Hardin in Manhattan.

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