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Northampton and Easthampton, Massachusetts Gas Moratorium
Supply limitations are causing a moratorium on new gas service in the communities of Northampton and Easthampton, Massachusetts.
Due to limited supply in the region, Eversource will continue the existing moratorium on any new gas service or any increases in load to existing gas customers in the cities of Northampton and Easthampton, Massachusetts, for the foreseeable future.
The current gas supply remains adequate to serve all existing customers in Northampton and Easthampton with reliable natural gas service at their historical service levels. However, we cannot allow any new service requests or increases to existing gas services in these two cities. The Tennessee Gas Pipeline system that provides gas to Eversource for delivery to the area is operating at maximum capacity, and there are no solutions foreseen in the near future to increase gas supply in the region.
More information is available below, and answers to common questions are available on our fact sheet. Or you can call 855-645-2427.
Moratorium policies
Supply conditions dictate that Eversource continue the new gas service moratorium established in 2015 by its predecessor company, Columbia Gas. This moratorium applies to any applications for new gas service as well as to requests from existing customers to increase their gas load. Still, the current gas supply remains adequate to serve existing customers at their historical service levels.
The moratorium applies to:
- New residential and commercial and industrial customer gas service connections.
- New gas usage from existing customers who wish to add gas for heating, hot water, laundry, cooking, and/or other applications not currently used.
- Incremental increases on existing residential, and commercial and industrial customer gas accounts. For example, Eversource cannot supply increased gas load for customers to install a larger gas furnace or boiler to accommodate a building addition or business expansion.
- Inactive service lines can be activated if the service line has been used within 24 months. If the gas service is eligible for reactivation, the connected gas equipment cannot exceed the load that was previously used at the location. If the service line or a gas meter was shut off for 24 months or longer, it cannot be reactivated.
- Eversource may allow - at its discretion and for documented health reasons - the installation of emergency natural gas-powered back-up generators.
- For public and emergency responder safety, Eversource policy prohibits the installation of propane gas within the same building or structure that is presently served with natural gas. Propane use outside of a building or structure using natural gas is allowed.
Moratorium History
- This moratorium was instituted by Eversource-predecessor Columbia Gas of Massachusetts in 2015 for new customer or new load applications in Northampton and Easthampton after Tennessee Gas Pipeline, the pipeline supplier serving the area, announced its pipeline had reach full capacity.
- Adding customers or adding new load could compromise service quality and reliability to existing customers.
For the foreseeable future, Eversource does not expect to make any changes to this moratorium policy.