NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The chosen route for the
Susquehanna-Roseland power line project – already approved
by state regulators in both New
Jersey and Pennsylvania,
and already following an existing power line right of way – is the
most reasonable path for this critical improvement to the region's
electrical infrastructure, according to formal comments submitted
to the National Park Service by Public Service Electric and Gas
Company (PSE&G) and PPL Electric Utilities.
The utilities reviewed the routes that would be necessary to
connect to alternative routes proposed by the Park Service. Routes
other than the one chosen by the utilities would have more impact
on people and the environment, and some have "critical flaws" that
would make them infeasible to build, according to the utility
comments. In addition, choosing a route other than the one
already approved by both states would increase costs and cause
additional delays that would leave millions of people throughout
the region vulnerable to problems with their electricity
service.
The two utilities filed their joint comments as part of the Park
Service's Environmental Impact Statement process for the
Susquehanna-Roseland line. A permit is needed from the
Park Service for the line to cross the Delaware Water Gap National
Recreation Area, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the
Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River.
The utilities also proposed one additional option for
consideration: The power line could be constructed entirely within
the existing right-of-way already owned by the two utilities in the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, eliminating the need
for the park service to grant additional right-of-way.
Currently, the only additional right-of-way needed on any park
service lands is an additional 50 feet of right-of-way that PPL has
requested on a 0.8-mile segment in the recreation area in
Pennsylvania. PPL has determined
that it could build the line on a 100-foot path in this segment if
necessary. The companies urged the Park Service to evaluate
formally this "existing right-of-way" option as one of the
alternatives it is studying.
The Susquehanna-Roseland power line is needed to prevent
overloads on existing power lines in New
Jersey and Pennsylvania,
according to the PJM Interconnection, the independent entity
responsible for reliability of the electric grid. The PJM requested
the line to be completed by 2012, but the utilities said recently
that the line won't be in service until 2014 or later, primarily
because of delays in obtaining a permit from the National Park
Service.
If the Park Service chooses a route other than the one already
approved by state regulators, significant additional delays are
expected because of the need to resubmit the new route to
regulators in both New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. This review process,
in addition to time needed for redesign and acquisition of new
right of way from private landowners, would add years to the time
frame of the project, the utilities said.
Additional delays would have a direct impact on electric
customers – both by increasing the likelihood of brownouts or even
blackouts during periods of high electricity use, and by resulting
in higher costs for the project.
Officials of both utilities commended the National Park Service
– and Superintendents John Donahue
of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Middle
Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, and Pamela Underhill of the Appalachian National
Scenic Trail – for the careful NPS study of the issue and for the
thorough public comment process, which included three public
hearings. The utilities have been cooperating with the park service
throughout the process and have met regularly with park service
officials to exchange information.
The utilities' filing included detailed, specific comments on
the flaws and impacts of each Park Service alternative route. Many
would require much more tree clearing than the route already
approved in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey and would have
additional environmental impacts. Others are drawn by the Park
Service on paths where no right-of-way currently exists, or where
right-of-way is owned by utilities other than PPL and PSE&G.
Some of the routes come closer to population centers, where the
overall regional impact would be greater than having the line path
go through the recreation area.
The utilities also made the point that the route chosen by the
two companies and approved by state regulators crosses the Park
Service lands on the path of an existing 230-kilovolt line
right-of-way, which existed decades before the Delaware Water Gap
National Recreation Area was created and which expressly contains
rights to construct additional utility lines.
The existing power line will have to remain in the recreation
area, the utilities said, even if the Park Service chooses all but
one of the alternative routes, because it is needed for regional
reliability. In addition, because of its age, that existing line
will have to be rebuilt within 10 years – whether or not the
Susquehanna-Roseland line is built along that path.
The utilities concluded that only the chosen route can meet the
region's critical electric needs in a timely way while having the
least impact on people, the environment, and on project costs –
which are paid by electric customers.
A full copy of the filing has been posted on PSE&G's project
Web site at http://www.pseg.com/reliabilityproject
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is
New Jersey's oldest and largest
regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly
three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner
of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system
reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise
Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company
(www.pseg.com).
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SOURCE Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G)
Copyright . 13 PR Newswire