State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-Great Neck) and state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) last week wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him to halt the ongoing installation of overhead transmission lines strung between 80-foot poles from Great Neck to Port Washington by PSEG Long Island.
“We have been hearing from our constituents on a very intense level about this project,” Schimel said in an interview.
Schimel and Martins issued a joint statement asking Cuomo to direct Audrey Zibelman, chair of the state public service commission, to halt the project until possible alternatives could be discussed with the general public.
A similar project in the Town of East Hampton was recently halted by Zibelman, at Cuomo’s request, so that the project could be discussed with lawmakers and residents.
“We want that same courtesy,” Schimel said.
PSEG Long Island representatives told East Hampton residents on Monday they would bury the power lines if residents were willing to pay for the additional expense.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth said during last week’s town board meeting she had spoken to PSEG Long Island’s President David Daly who, according to Bosworth, said the town may receive the same deal.
The project is part of an effort by PSEG to enhance the electrical grid of the Town of North Hempstead, according to PSEG spokesman Jeffrey Weir.
The project consists of the installation of 80-foot poles starting from Great Neck, running through Bayview Avenue in Manhasset, and ending in Port Washington.
Port Washington resident Christine Hogan two weeks ago started a petition asking PSEG to halt the project and bury the lines underground, claiming the poles are “aesthetically unpleasing.”
The petition, which also blasts the utility company for not giving residents advanced notice of the project, had more than 1,200 signatures from residents in Great Neck, Manhasset and Port Washington at press time.
A second petition asking PSEG to bury the power lines was created Tuesday by Port Washington resident Chuck Idol. That petition had about 50 signatures at press time.
Weir has said the poles are necessary to ensure resident’s have power in the event of a storm. Weir said the poles will also ensure the utility company can keep up with the increased energy demand during the summer months.
Town and village officials had been notified of the project and that it is the policy of PSEG to meet with elected officials “before, during and after,” any projects, he said.
But Schimel said discussions with politicians isn’t enough and that residents needed to be included when discussing the project.
“A meeting with officials is very different than an open meeting with the public,” she said.
Schimel said PSEG was repeating the failures of its predecessor, LIPA, in excluding residents from discussions on the project.
“A lack of communication was one of the problems with LIPA,” Schimel said. “Here we go again.”
PSEG took over Long Island’s electrical grid from LIPA at the beginning of the year after Cuomo and other elected officials lambasted LIPA for its response to Superstorm Sandy and other failures.
A meeting with town and PSEG officials has been scheduled for March 24 at Harbor Links Clubhouse in Port Washington at 7 p.m.
Town spokesman Ryan Mulholland said the meeting was scheduled in response to town board members receiving multiple complaints about the project.
Martins, in his statement, said PSEG should take into consideration the impact the project will have on the community.
“Although we understand that PSEG is hardening the transmission system to ensure greater reliability, it must be balanced against the short- and long-term impacts to the community,” Martins said in a statement. “We’ve called upon the governor to help make that happen.”
