Council slams gas-safety hearing no-shows
Subpoena threatened to get Grid to appear
City councilors slammed and threatened to subpoena National Grid after the company declined an invitation to attend yesterday’s hearing about the city’s gas infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
“It’s incredibly disappointing, however not surprising, that Grid decided not to come,” City Councilor Matt O’Malley told the Herald after yesterday’s hearing that lasted more than four hours. “The purpose of this hearing was to convene the relevant stakeholders and to figure out strategies and ideas to ensure that we were doing everything we possibly could to provide the top level of public safety.”
National Grid wrote a letter to O’Malley, which he received Friday, explaining why it would not be attending. The letter, which was read on the record by O’Malley and obtained by the Herald, said the company does “not believe it will be effective or useful to engage with our unions in public debate.”
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the company said: “Our absence from today’s meeting was not due to a lack of willingness to respond to the council’s questions and concerns.”
It went on to read: “We have informed the council in response to its invitation, that we are available to meet with members of the City Council to discuss gas safety. However, our goal is to come to an agreement with the two unions.”
But councilors and locked-out workers yesterday said National Grid was putting profits before its workers and public safety.
Councilor Ayanna Pressley referred to the company as “National Greed.” Council President Andrea Campbell questioned the company’s power, and whether a monopoly was in place. Councilors Ed Flynn, Tim McCarthy and Josh Zakim pushed to subpoena the company to testify, just two weeks after Quincy’s council did the same thing.
“I thought it was a very disrespectful letter that they sent,” Flynn said. “Them not wanting to come here today and testify to give the public an update on what’s happening as it relates to public safety. We take public safety very serious in this city. They should be sitting here, right at that table.”
National Grid wasn’t the only stakeholder to decline an invitation to the hearing. Eversource, which provides gas service to a small number of residents, and the state’s Department of Public Utilities were also absent.
Union leaders also criticized the state organization in addition to National Grid. The DPU is currently investigating National Grid’s practices regarding pipeline safety.
Joe Kirylo, president of the Boston Gas Workers union, who testified at the hearing, criticized the DPU and said it, too, “needs to be investigated.”
“I think it underscores the fact that the DPU is a chronically underfunded and undermanned state agency,” O’Malley said. “And the next governor, whether it’s Gov. Baker reelected or Jay Gonzalez, really needs to tackle that in the new year. We need to make sure that it is staffed well and effectively and safely.”