We’d like to pass along some very recent, and very welcome news for builders: on December 19, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities substantially modified its order of October 8 that imposed a moratorium on National Grid from doing all but emergency and compliance gas work. The new order allows the company to resume customary non-emergency work, including installation of direct tap service lines and the installation and extension of both plastic and welded steel mains, provided the company adheres to strengthened safety standards.

For home builders and developers who having been experiencing significant difficulty in getting natural gas installations to their projects, this change is a welcome one. Certainly, between the current backlog of natural gas installation requests and the ongoing dispute between National Grid and the United Steelworks Local 12003 and 12012-0, builders shouldn’t expect immediate action on their projects, but this is certainly an improvement over the moratorium. More information is available in this bulletin from HBRAMA.

To help HBRAMA monitor the progress on National Grid’s backlog, members who have been affected by the National Grid moratorium should provide the association with information about the nature and location of their project, as well as the specific services they need, by emailing HBRAMA executive director Joe Landers at jlanders@hbrama.com. HBRAMA’s Utilities Subcommittee will then forward a list of those requests to National Grid for priority attention.

BRAGB would like to extend our sincerest thanks to HBRAMA and its Utilities Subcommittee (including but not limited to Subcommittee Chairman Mark Leff of Salem Five Bank), as they have worked hard to advocate an end to the moratorium. Many thanks for their efforts!