Reminder: Special Holmdel Township Committee Meeting Wednesday Night on JCPL

Holmdel, NJ - As Patch has reported, there will be a special Holmdel Township Committee meeting Wednesday night, July 6 to specifically address the JCP&L power line issue. As Patch reported last week, JCP&L is building the extremely controversial transmission lines at the recommendation of PJM Interconnection, which manages the electricity grid in New Jersey and 12 other states. PJM says the lines are necessary because the area around the Red Bank substation is vulnerable to outages and needs to be enhanced.

Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds will be there Wednesday night, and is expected to speak, as is Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon. Kim Arthur, a member of Residents Against Giant Electric (RAGE) will also speak. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Holmdel Township Senior/Community Center on Crawfords Corner Road.

The mayors of 11 Bayshore towns, including Hazlet, Holmdel, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Keansburg, Keyport, Matawan, Red Bank and Union Beach, already signed a letter sent to Anthony Hurley, JCP&L vice president of operations, expressing their opposition to the plan. Assemblywoman Handlin, who lives in Middletown, is currently drafting legislation that would prohibit transmission lines being built within 100 feet of homes and buildings on public property.

The Holmdel Board of Ed., Hazlet Board of Ed. and Hazlet Township Committee have all passed unanimous resolutions against JCP&L's proposal.

The Middletown Board of Ed. and the Middletown Township Committee have not.