Monmouth Residents RAGE Against JCPL Power Line Plan

Middletown, NJ - The only thing surging more than your air conditioner right now is opposition to JCP&L's highly controversial plan to install a 10-mile, 230,000-volt power line throughout northern Monmouth County.

Expect fireworks at a meeting Tuesday night held by the electric company to present its plan to residents, some of whom resurrected an old group formed in the '80s — RAGE (Residents Against Giant Electric). So far, more than 1,400 people signed RAGE's petition against the lines.

"When I first heard about this, I honestly started crying," said Middletown resident Lisa Walsh. Walsh, 51, lives on Conover Avenue, within easy walking distance to the Middletown train station.

"Anyone who walks into my backyard will see these power lines," she said. "You work so hard to improve your home; you pay your mortgage; you pay your taxes. And now this. My biggest investment is going to plummet in value just because JCP&L doesn't want to spend the money to bury the lines."

The lines were 60 feet high when first proposed in the 1980s. Now, they will rise to 140 to 170 feet. The height will differ based on topography, said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano, but the average height will be about 140 feet.

140-foot tall power lines will run through heavily developed areas

RAGE was created when JCP&L first proposed the mega-watt transmission lines in the 1980s. After protracted legal battles with Holmdel, Hazlet and Middletown, JCP&L abandoned the plan, but resurrected it this May, citing a development boom, and increased need for power.

JCP&L proposes to build the lines along the existing public use right-of-way next to the North Jersey Coast rail line. The power lines will stretch for nearly 10 miles, from Aberdeen to Red Bank, as the tracks weave through highly congested suburban areas.

"We understand (property values) is a sensitive issue," said Morano. "JCP&L is evaluating whether the project will have an impact on property values and will file an expert’s report on that subject as part of its filing with the NJBPU."

The company needs permission from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection before it can build the lines. It expects to file for approval before the end of June.

The lines will improve service, JCP&L promises. But Walsh said she would rather deal with an occasional power outage.

"If you look at Google maps, there are so many homes along the train tracks, and these lines are literally going right in their backyards," Walsh said. "It's not like this is being proposed for a rural area or a wide open area of fields. This is a very congested area."

Cancer from the power lines a concern

But that's not all. Some residents are concerned about the risk of radiation of being so close to the electromagnetic fields, especially the risk to children. JCP&L says the concerns are unfounded.

"The conclusions reached by national and international scientific and health agencies from their evaluation of electromagnetic field research, and the guidelines for exposure they have recommended, make clear that exposures to EMF that people encounter in their daily life, including those from transmission lines like the one considered here, do not pose any recognized long-term health risks," said Morano.

But Walsh and other residents say it's the mere perception of a health hazard that can hurt property values.

"Obviously, I don't want to get breast cancer from these things," she said. "But even if the health hazard isn't proven, our property values will go down because of people's fears."

Tuesday night's meeting, held at Brookdale Community College from 6 to 8 p.m., is the first of three meetings JCP&L is holding to present its plans to the public.

Assemblywoman Amy Handlin is an outspoken critic of the proposal, and Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger will be at Tuesday night's meeting.

Here are the 3 upcoming public meetings JCP&L will hold on the power lines:

Tuesday, June 7: Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Road in Lincroft on June 7, 2016, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, June 8 (morning): VFW Post 2179, 1 Veterans Lane in Port Monmouth on June 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Wednesday, June 8 (evening): North Centerville Volunteer Fire Company, 372 Middle Road in Hazlet on June 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.