Lawmakers Call On Con Ed To Expedite Pipe Replacement

January 27, 2008

Queens lawmakers are calling on Con Ed to step up plans to replace its outdated infrastructure – after a fatal explosion in November.

Councilman Eric Gioia and Assemblyman Michael Gianaris say the utility has been slow to replace aging cast iron pipes despite a 1992 federal directive. Gioia says at its current rate, the remaining 2,500 miles of pipe won't be completely replaced until 2070.

"Con Edison knows what lies beneath the ground," said Gioia. "Year after year they come forward and they ask for rate increases so they can fix their infrastructure. The question that every New Yorkers has to ask is, ‘Where has the money gone?’ Why has it taken Con Edison so long to replace cast iron pipes?"

A natural gas explosion in Sunnyside left one person dead in November. Gioia wants the Public Service Commission to force Con Ed replace all the cast iron piping within the next ten years.

A Con Ed spokesman says the company has an aggressive gas main inspection and replacement program in place.