Legalectric

Stop the Lines has appealed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities decision approving the Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line through northern New Jersey.

NJ BPU Order – April 21, 2010

The New Jersey environmental coalition that intervened in this docket, represented by Eastern Environmental Law Center, has appealed too!

This is yet another case of utility wants but NO NEED, and now, they’re trying to build only the eastern section!  Say what?!??!!  That’s not what the BPU approved!

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Stop The Lines appeals BPU decision on PSE&G Susquehanna-Roseland power line project

Stop The Lines, a grassroots opposition group, has filed an appeal in the Appellate Division of NJ Superior Court challenging the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) decision to allow Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) to build a massive power line along an existing right-of-way that was not designed to accommodate a line of this magnitude.

“Building 195-foot high towers within a 150-foot wide right-of-way is simply unreasonable,” said David Slaperud, a Stop The Lines trustee. Slaperud said that the proposed line would negatively impact property values, and that a project of this size running through residential areas is detrimental to public health and safety. “The BPU has not adequately addressed these concerns.”

“BPU was asked several times during evidentiary hearings to look at the most recent energy demand data, and they failed to request the additional information,” continued Slaperud. “Instead, they relied solely the word of Mr. Steven Herling, Vice President of Planning, PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM), who stated, ‘We will do the analysis, but we already know what the results will be,’ when questioned during hearings. No facts, just basically a plea to ‘Trust us.’”

Tom Hill, another trustee of Stop The Lines added, “How could the BPU take Mr. Herling at his word, rather than simply looking at the data that is currently available?   Something just doesn’t seem right – while energy demand continues to drop, BPU is willing to take PJM at their word rather than requiring data to back that assumption up.”

Stop The Lines attorney Carol A. Overland strongly agrees.  “This BPU decision comes at a time when any utility infrastructure is suspect.  PJM’s demand has been steadily decreasing since 2006, and recently PSE&G proposed to build only a part of it.  That alone shows we’re not going to be freezing in the dark, the lights won’t go out. Add PJM’s State of the Market Report and the increasingly delayed RTEP, it’s just not plausible that they need this line.  What’s clear is they WANT it, but their business plan and PJM’s marketing plan are not sufficient reasons to put landowners and communities through this transmission hell.”  Overland stated that the proposed new project is far beyond what a demand increase would require. “It’s transmission on steroids at a time when we are in conservation training. The Susquehanna-Roseland Project is going backwards down the wrong path.”

The Stop the Lines appeal will focus on the lack of need for this massively expanded transmission line, and the BPU’s refusal to consider new PJM information showing an decreased demand now or in the foreseeable future; the uncertainty of rate-recovery, which is currently at issue at FERC; health and safety impacts on landowners, residents and the environment; and economic impacts ranging from loss of property value and tax revenue to inability of homeowners to obtain mortgages.

Stop The Lines also fully supports the issues raised by the four Environmental Groups – Environment New Jersey, New Jersey Highlands Coalition, New Jersey Environmental Federation and the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club – in their appeal of the BPU decision, and will work in collaboration with them throughout the appeal process.

John Blair is a cohort in the no-coal world, and he’s been featured in a BIG write up recently — from the looks of this article, perception of him is expanding beyond the “Royal Pain In The Ass” mode to merit a feature in the… get this… the BUSINESS magazine in Evansville, Indiana.  But make no mistake about it, John Blair IS a Royal Pain In The Ass, in the best possible sense of the word, he revels in it and does it very well.  He’s been a fixture in environmental issues long enough that they’re learning it helps to pay attention.  He operates his Valley Watch a lot like Alan and Green Delaware, the one person responsible for focusing direction and keeping it all together, and it’s not easy and for sure the work is NEVER done.

The article ends with a classic Blairism:

Blair says, “If I have something to add to the conversation, I’ll add it” — in a loud voice.

Here it is in its entirety, in case the link disappears:

A Watchful Eye

The controversial life of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and environmental activist John Blair

by Kristen K. Tucker

John Blair worries about the effects of the Rockport Power Plant and other power plants on the health of Tri-State residents.

Aloft over Henderson County in a small Cessna, John Blair points out the windows in each direction and out to the horizon, identifying the power plants visible from 3,000 feet. He locates nearly a dozen plants, including the Rockport Power Plant with one of the tallest stacks in the world (1,038 feet) and Gibson Station, operated by Duke Energy, 2008’s third largest power plant in the United States for generating capacity, according to Electric Light & Power magazine.

Blair is on assignment to produce aerial photographs of a large construction project of an Evansville-based firm and has hired a pilot from Don Davis Aviation out of Henderson, Ky., to fly him up the Ohio River. The bird’s eye views he creates pay the bills and stoke his passion: the health of the citizens of the Ohio Valley. For around three decades, Blair and the organization he co-founded, Valley Watch, have been the most vocal and active area advocates for clean air and water.

“I, personally, and Valley Watch have had tremendous victories,” Blair says, claiming a record of 33 wins and four losses against projects and endeavors that his organization claims would cause serious harm to the public health of the Ohio Valley.
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It’s all been happening over at NoCapX 2020 — there’s exciting news to publish here on other things, but no time until after tomorrow at 4:30!!

Our dear doggy Kenya has died — we took her to the vet this morning.  She had a good long life, nearly 13 years, which is old for a German Shepherd.  Kenya is the doggy who went everywhere with me, touring the state for whatever meetings, off to Delaware to get acquainted with Alan, chased agency and utility personnel across parking lots, and for years she slept under my desk in my office in Northfield, with apples or carrots for friends and visitors to placate her.

Kenya was a rescue, from the now defunct Badger German Shepherd Rescue in Wisconsin.  After I lost my Katze in a most gutwrenching death, an engineer, “whose name I can’t recall,” was in rescue with BGSR and he found her for me, and I picked her up from her foster mom, Kelly, and we’ve been together ever since, nearly 8 years.  Kelly had had her twice as a foster, and she loved this dog.  Ken was just a pup when she climbed over a cage and got her leg caught and fell and broke her leg and hung with that broken leg until someone came in.  A woman who worked at the vet saved her and adopted her, and Kenya’s mangled leg didn’t slow her down as she grew up.  After a couple years, her first owner got divorced and couldn’t find a place to live that would take a big shep, so Kelly fostered her, and then a man took her to Indiana and then a couple years later, same story, divorce and no home that would accept a dog, so back to Kelly she went.    Then I got her and Kelly wanted to make sure I wasn’t married because Ken shouldn’t have to go through that again, and then Ken hopped in the car, which became her den, and we hammered west.    I’ve kept in touch with Kelly over the years, updates about Kenya and our other doggies, particularly about Ken’s progress in being a dog.  This is the most difficult update.   In the time Ken and I were together, she grew so much and learned how to fit into my life — no easy task.

Kenya loved being in the car, loved to go for rides with the wind whipping her firmly shep ears back  (means we had to go fast) and taking naps in the car when I was trying not to do the same in some boring meeting.  She loved the car, shout “CAR!” and she whips her head, finds it, and takes off full bore.  Above is the Delaware van, where she always begged to spend the day, hanging out in the yard, watching the world out the back door.  We got the new van just to cart them cross-country, a platform so they could see the world go by and bark at everyone waiting for the train in Chicago!  Alan’s love for the dog is obvious, and he’s the one who carted her around the last few months, carrying her down all the steps to the car here in Red Wing, and carrying her so she can sleep upstairs and then down in the morning.  Despite her infirmities, we continued to take her most everywhere, for a ride, to lay in the sun on a picnic, and to lay in Lake Byllesby.  He’s also the giver of the chicken, her concentrated protein favorite, and a frequent provider of ice cream and donuts for her vet ordered diet.

She’s seen the world, well, much of the US, been back and forth and back and forth and back and forth to Delaware, has peed in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Itasca, the Canisteo Pit, the Delaware and Mississippi and Rush rivers, the Delaware Water Gap and and particularly liked Frontenac Beach and Lake Byllesby.  She wasn’t much for fetch, but she loved to have her own Wubba and run circles around Krie when Krie was fetching (and Krie was one fetching dog).

Ken had  been significantly declining for over two years, and July of 2008, she was diagnosed with early renal failure, and we’ve been nursing her along with a special diet and some drugs, pee pills too, which helped a lot until maybe two months ago, when she lost ability to walk and then, to get up.  She was incontinent more and more often, first peeing, and lately pooping.  She was eating and eating and eating and drinking and drinking and drinking, and what goes in comes out.   Oh, did it…  Prednisone helped her pain, and we took her to the chiropractor, but there are no miracle cures, and though her pain was better, that was obvious and a relief to us all, the rear half of her body was shot.  She couldn’t get up without help (unless we were heading to the door with car keys in hand), needed to be held up in her sling to get around and go outside, and needed nearly constant attention.  And today, off to see Brent Born, Kenyon Vet Clinic — our favorite vet — the one who helped us have two bonus years with Kenya.

We miss her terribly and there will be a big hole where Kenya was for quite some time… it’s been a rough year…

Long live the K & K Grrrrrrrrrrls !!!!

Kenya   October 1, 1997 – May 26, 2010

Krie       January 31, 1998 – January 2, 2010

PSEG has announced that they have filed an “Early Site Permit Application” with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

PSEG Power and PSEG Nuclear file Early Site Permit Application

It’s now on the NRC website:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/esp/pseg.html

The Press Release says:

The preferred location for a potential new
plant would be adjacent to PSEG Nuclear’s Salem and Hope Creek
Generating Stations now in operation in Lower Alloways Creek, Salem
County.  The site is currently the second largest nuclear facility in
the United States.

That’s right across the river from us in Port Penn, Delaware…

And let me get this straight, they think this can fly?  Who would finance it?  Who would buy it?

• Energy prices are at an all time low, peak demand is at an all time low.

1. PJM State of the Market Report 2009 – Marketing Analytics
2. PJM State of the Market Report 2010 (1Q) – Marketing Analytics
   

• On the other hand, nuclear, NEW nuclear, is at an all time high, the capital cost is well over $6,500/kw.  Unless it’s subsidized 100% by ratepayers, who could afford it — anything is easy to afford if someone else pays, so…

What planet are they on?