Park service urged to reject power line

PENNSYLVANIA/NEW JERSEY - Opponents of a major North Jersey-Pennsylvania power line project jammed into a public hearing in Jefferson to urge the National Park Service to reject a plan that calls for huge new electric towers to cross over federal parkland.

A couple hundred North Jersey residents and environmentalists said the Park Service has an obligation to protect natural, historic and cultural values of federal parks in the two states from what they termed "environmental ravagesÂ’Â’ of the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland line.

"What they are planning to do is awful. They will really destroy the beauty of this area,Â’Â’ said Jefferson resident Jane Moore, as neighbor Joan Gehm nodded in agreement.

"This is an area of such beauty,Â’Â’ said Barbara Cochrane, who traveled to northern Morris County from her Hunterdon County home to attend the Park Service hearing. "This project seems to go against everything weÂ’re supposed to be providing with these wonderful parks.Â’Â’

But a Public Service Electric and Gas Co. official countered there is a need for the estimated $900 million to $1.2 billion utility upgrade to ensure the future reliability of the regionÂ’s power grid and pledged PSE&G would do all it could to safeguard the environment.

The proposed Susquehanna-Roseland project is a 500,000-volt transmission line that will be built on a 146-mile route between Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. It would bring 500-kilovolt transmission towers along a long-established path of smaller 230-kilovolt towers running through Warren, Sussex and Morris counties, ending in Roseland in Essex County.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission both approved the project of PPL Electric Utilities in Pennsylvania and PSE&G in New Jersey.

However, because the approved route crosses federal parks, the National Park Service must approve the intrusion. The hearings are a first step in preparing an environmental statement to consider the impacts to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, and Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Donald McCloskey, director of environmental policy for PSE&G, testified his company has a long history of balancing business obligations with responsibilities to the environment. He vowed PSE&G will work closely with the Park Service.

"We are taking concerns seriously, working with municipal officials and other leaders to construct the line in the safest, most environmentally responsible way.Â’Â’ McCloskey said.

But opponents said the new and higher towers would scar the environment, destroy scenic views, cause water and air pollution, while damaging plant and animal habitats.

"ItÂ’s dirty power, ugly power thatÂ’s going right to New York. We donÂ’t need this,Â’Â’ said Jefferson resident Paul French.

"Constructing a 190 foot tower along the (Appalachian) trail would be a desecration,Â’Â’ said Jeffrey Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

That Park Service review could take two years, officials said. Another public session was held at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany, and written comments will be accepted through March 5.