For Release: Tuesday, August 14, 2007
DEC and Keyspan Sign Agreement to Investigate and Clean up 12 Sites in Brooklyn and Nassau County
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced the signing of an expanded consent order between the state and KeySpan Energy Delivery that will require the cleanup of contamination at five Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) sites and seven gas storage sites in Brooklyn and Nassau County. The agreement broadens a February 2007 consent order signed between DEC and KeySpan and brings the total number of sites covered under this agreement to 26.
"This expanded consent order is a crucial step in expediting the investigation and potential cleanup of these sites," Commissioner Grannis said. "DEC will continue to hold KeySpan and other utilities that have left behind this history of contamination accountable for the environmental impacts they have caused both at these sites and also in the surrounding communities."
From the early 1800s to the mid 1900s, hundreds of manufactured gas plants operated throughout New York State and other states, converting coal to a gas that was used for cooking and heating in much the same way that natural gas is used today. Prior to the widespread use of electricity, the gas was also extensively used for lighting streets and homes. When natural gas became widely available through the nationwide pipeline network, the local gas manufacturing facilities were closed down. The last MGP in New York State closed in 1972.
The legacy of contamination left behind by the principal gas manufacturing processes continues to be dealt with today. Large amounts of liquid waste, known as coal tar, often leaked into soils beneath the manufacturing sites. Lesser amounts of tar sometimes escaped from facilities, "Gas Holders," where the gas was stored for local distribution. The tar has proven to be a persistent environmental contaminant. In response, DEC has developed one of the most aggressive MGP cleanup programs in the country, with over 200 sites across the state covered by consent orders reached with utilities over approximately 13 years. For more information about DEC's MGP program, go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8430.html on the DEC website.
An implementation schedule for the order will be developed within the next month. The agreement will be binding on KeySpan and any successor companies. The additional sites to be investigated and addressed as part of the expanded consent order include:
- Fulton Works MGP in Brooklyn
- Metropolitan Works MGP in Brooklyn
- Williamsburg Works MGP
- Brooklyn Gas and Light Works MGP
- Kings County Works MGP
- Flatbush Station A&B Gas Holder
- Scholes Street Station Gas Holder
- Inwood Holder Station Gas Holder
- Wythe Avenue Station Gas Holder
- Belmont Gas Holder
- Plymouth Street Gas Holder
- Union Street Gas Holder
New York State is continuing efforts to require the cleanup of additional KeySpan MGP sites. Consent order negotiations with the state are ongoing for 11 KeySpan alternative gas production and storage sites in Nassau and Suffolk counties. These sites did not manufacture gas from coal or petroleum and thus did not produce, store, or dispose of coal tar. However, as with many industrial facilities, environmental issues may exist. Requirements for further investigation of these sites will be included as part of negotiations for a separate order. An additional two Keyspan sites are not under a consent order, but are being pursued as part of the state's lawsuit against major Newtown Creek polluters in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn.
