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06-19-03, 09:59 AM
OCEAN LEGISLATORS INSIST HIGH-VOLTAGE LINES IN PINELANDS
Date: 030614
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/
OCEAN LEGISLATORS INSIST HIGH-VOLTAGE LINES GO IN PINELANDS
By Dan P. Lee, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7209
Press of Atlantic City, June 14, 2003
Barnegat Township - Southern Ocean County's state legislators have
formally entered the fray, issuing a press release Friday calling on
the state's Pinelands Commission to allow high-voltage power lines to
be located within the Pinelands and away from residential areas here.
Sen. Leonard T. Connors and Assemblymen Jeffrey W. Moran and
Christopher J. Connors called for the commission's chairman, former
Gov. James Florio, to "intervene" on behalf of township residents to
enable the lines to be installed in the far western part of the
township, within a large conservation area controlled by the Pinelands
Commission.
"People come first," Assemblyman Connors said.
Citing "unanswered questions" about the electromagnetic fields
associated with the lines and the effect the lines would have on
property values, Connors asked Florio to "seriously consider" allowing
the lines "in the Pine Barrens so that our residents will have peace
of mind."
The application currently before the commission involves Conectiv
Power Delivery's proposal to replace existing 69- kilovolt power lines
with 230-kilovolt power lines and significantly larger utility poles
along a partially residential route from Egg Harbor Township in
Atlantic County to the Oyster Creek Generating Station in Lacey
Township, Ocean County.
In Ocean County, the application calls for the lines to be upgraded
using the utility's existing rights-of-way, which fall within some
residential areas lining the Garden State Parkway. The residents have
opposed this, demanding that the lines not be installed anywhere
within a mile of homes.
Conectiv spokeswoman Betty Kennedy said Friday that the utility is
weighing some of the residents' suggestions but believes the option of
putting the lines within the Pinelands is problematic and unfeasible.
She said the utility has not broached the subject with the Pinelands
Commission because the utility's understanding is that "any kind of
construction within the forest region of the Pinelands would not even
be considered."
Kennedy maintained that there is more than ample clearance for the
lines along the existing rights-of-way, which she said provide at
least 60 feet of clearance throughout Ocean County. She called the
clearance "more than sufficient to mitigate any concerns about
electric and magnetic fields," which she said nevertheless have been
scientifically proven to be safe, a point many residents have
disputed.
Francis Rapa, Pinelands Commission spokesman, declined to discuss the
issue in detail Friday, saying only that commissioners have been
briefed on the situation and will consider the residents' wishes as
they evaluate Conectiv's existing application. (That application, to
replace the existing lines with the higher-voltage lines, requires the
approval of the commission because portions of ground along the
parkway route also fall under the control of the commission.)
Residents of Atlantic County have protested the plan as well. They
have demanded that the utility move the line away from the existing
route, which is highly residential in parts, and instead run it along
the parkway through portions of Atlantic County. Areas around the
parkway there are far less developed than are those along the parkway
in Ocean County.
The Governor's Office is involved now in attempting to work out a
compromise among all the parties. The state Board of Public Utilities
will evaluate and ultimately vote on the utility's plan.
Date: 030614
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/atlantic/
OCEAN LEGISLATORS INSIST HIGH-VOLTAGE LINES GO IN PINELANDS
By Dan P. Lee, Staff Writer, (609) 272-7209
Press of Atlantic City, June 14, 2003
Barnegat Township - Southern Ocean County's state legislators have
formally entered the fray, issuing a press release Friday calling on
the state's Pinelands Commission to allow high-voltage power lines to
be located within the Pinelands and away from residential areas here.
Sen. Leonard T. Connors and Assemblymen Jeffrey W. Moran and
Christopher J. Connors called for the commission's chairman, former
Gov. James Florio, to "intervene" on behalf of township residents to
enable the lines to be installed in the far western part of the
township, within a large conservation area controlled by the Pinelands
Commission.
"People come first," Assemblyman Connors said.
Citing "unanswered questions" about the electromagnetic fields
associated with the lines and the effect the lines would have on
property values, Connors asked Florio to "seriously consider" allowing
the lines "in the Pine Barrens so that our residents will have peace
of mind."
The application currently before the commission involves Conectiv
Power Delivery's proposal to replace existing 69- kilovolt power lines
with 230-kilovolt power lines and significantly larger utility poles
along a partially residential route from Egg Harbor Township in
Atlantic County to the Oyster Creek Generating Station in Lacey
Township, Ocean County.
In Ocean County, the application calls for the lines to be upgraded
using the utility's existing rights-of-way, which fall within some
residential areas lining the Garden State Parkway. The residents have
opposed this, demanding that the lines not be installed anywhere
within a mile of homes.
Conectiv spokeswoman Betty Kennedy said Friday that the utility is
weighing some of the residents' suggestions but believes the option of
putting the lines within the Pinelands is problematic and unfeasible.
She said the utility has not broached the subject with the Pinelands
Commission because the utility's understanding is that "any kind of
construction within the forest region of the Pinelands would not even
be considered."
Kennedy maintained that there is more than ample clearance for the
lines along the existing rights-of-way, which she said provide at
least 60 feet of clearance throughout Ocean County. She called the
clearance "more than sufficient to mitigate any concerns about
electric and magnetic fields," which she said nevertheless have been
scientifically proven to be safe, a point many residents have
disputed.
Francis Rapa, Pinelands Commission spokesman, declined to discuss the
issue in detail Friday, saying only that commissioners have been
briefed on the situation and will consider the residents' wishes as
they evaluate Conectiv's existing application. (That application, to
replace the existing lines with the higher-voltage lines, requires the
approval of the commission because portions of ground along the
parkway route also fall under the control of the commission.)
Residents of Atlantic County have protested the plan as well. They
have demanded that the utility move the line away from the existing
route, which is highly residential in parts, and instead run it along
the parkway through portions of Atlantic County. Areas around the
parkway there are far less developed than are those along the parkway
in Ocean County.
The Governor's Office is involved now in attempting to work out a
compromise among all the parties. The state Board of Public Utilities
will evaluate and ultimately vote on the utility's plan.