Politics & Government
Letter To The Editor: Bury The Lines, UI
"Isn't it possible there's a safe, less expensive way to put this power corridor safely underground?"
To the Editor:
Last Thursday, along with more than 360 other concerned people, I attended the Zoom meeting of the nine member Connecticut Siting Council. It was all very orderly and civilized but there was at least one very important unanswered question.
The Connecticut Siting Council is a state government appointed group who make decisions over what goes where in Connecticut regarding the siting of power facilities, transmission lines, hazardous waste facilities and other forms of infrastructure.
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The agenda at last week's meeting focused on the application from United Illuminating Company which would create a power corridor for new, upgraded transmission lines extending about 7.5 miles through Bridgeport, Fairfield and Southport. It would involve the construction of more than 100 towering steel monopoles, many as tall as 14 stories. Each would require excavation for a foundation reaching a depth of up to 40 feet. It would create a new, massive visual "steelscape" that critics argue will intrude on homeowners, businesses, churches and various open space landscapes and watercourses.
Indeed, we need more electricity that is safely delivered if we’re eventually going to ease up on fossil fuel usage and dial back climate change. But as a growing number of people argue, why not put the necessary transmission lines underground in heavy duty pipes? That’s what they do in other parts of the country and in Europe and elsewhere where preserving landscapes and historic areas is important.
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UI says it would cost too much. But yesterday when asked how the company arrived at its estimates for how much that would cost, a UI witness repeatedly said that information was “proprietary and confidential.”
But why? Isn’t it possible there’s a safe, less expensive way to put this power corridor safely underground? Why does UI insist the public and the Connecticut Siting Council should rely on its cost estimates but yet the utility company is not willing to share details on how it arrived at what it would cost to bury the transmission line safely versus adding a new steel skyline to our region? Why not put it all on the table for the Siting Council to understand and discuss?
Donald Hyman
Fairfield, CT
