Public Info Sessions on PSE&G Project Begin

PSE&G has begun to hold its public information workshops in relation to the North Central Reliability Project.

The project, if approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, will feature the upgrade and replacement of existing poles and lines, stretching from West Orange to Roseland, and then down through Berkeley Heights all the way to Metuchen.

Many area residents came out to the first of four public information sessions, which was held at Mayfair Farms in West Orange on Tuesday afternoon, to address concerns regarding the project.

“In general, the people that I’ve spoken to are most concerned with how their property is going to impacted by the project. They’re concerned with any health impacts, and those are the comments I’ve been hearing," said Deann Muzikar, a public relations representative for PSE&G. “’How does it affect my property?’ ‘What am I going to see where I live?’ That’s why so many people are looking up their property here today, and that’s why we have them here, so they can see where they are in relation to the line and towers, what they’ll see, and how they’ll be impacted.”

The project calls for the upgrade of transmission lines and substations from 138,000-volt power lines to 230,000-volt lines. The project is planned to span 35 miles through Essex, Morris, Union, and Middlesex Counties. Currently, PSE&G is looking at ways to minimize the impact the projects will have not only on the public, but on the environment.

“Since we have (wetlands and flood hazard) information (near the sites), we’re using it to evaluate how we can minimize the impacts to access our towers and to construct new towers," said Ray Trippoti,  Director of Transmission Permitting for Public Service with PSE&G. “So, we’re taking that information and sharing it with the construction crews and engineering crews and saying, ‘hey, if we avoid these areas, we’ll minimize the impacts’.”

If any change needs to be made to the environment in order to allow construction, Trippoti assures that it will only be temporary, and that natural characteristics of the surrounding land will be restored following construction.

“We’ll go back and re-seed it with native species and let it come back to its natural characteristics," said Trippoti.

PSE&G has not gone without being criticized during the construction of this and other projects. One group, the Stop the Lines Initiative, has spoken out about alterations proposed by PSE&G to its Susquehanna-Roseland line, and encourages other activist groups to rise up and fight the proposed construction in their areas.

“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion," said Muzikar. “We try to present the facts to them, and try to be respectful of what they’re trying to do as well.”

No matter what opinion members of the public form, it is PSE&G’s aim with these public workshops to have all affected New Jersey residents come to an informed conclusion about the project as a whole.

“These public workshops are one way that they get informed; they know what they can expect to see," said Muzikar. “Our website provides information, and there will be a property owner’s component to that website, where what we hope to do is, as we work in the towns, post what kind of work will be going on and when, (as well as) what they might see out their window if they have a look.”

PSE&G will host one of these public information workshops locally on March 31 from 4-8 PM at L’Affaire Fine Catering, located at 1099 US Highway 22 in Mountainside.