On Aboveground Lines

The East End’s representatives in Albany, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, are jointly sponsoring a law that would require the Long Island Power Authority to provide public notice of its intent to install new above-ground electric transmission lines, before determining the project’s environmental significance.

The power authority’s service provider, PSEG Long Island, caused an uproar in East Hampton when it began installing a six-mile-long high-voltage transmission line between East Hampton Village and Amagansett, without, according to local officials, fully informing them of what was planned. Most recently, large metal transmission line poles were installed in Eastport without community involvement.

“A mistake can happen once,” the lawmakers said in a joint press release. “However, when LIPA/PSEG LI excludes the public over and over again, it is intentional. PSEG LI has no interest in transparency, public outreach, or the community character of the people it serves.”

“The NYS Department of Public Service had promised us a ‘thoughtful approach to aesthetics and adequate advance notice of proposed projects,’ ” the legislators stated, “and that ‘the outreach process [would be] sufficient for affected communities to fully understand the magnitude of the project, be aware of alternatives, and have a meaningful opportunity to provide input.’ Instead, they abdicated their responsibility to the public.”

Early notification would allow the public and municipalities to weigh in on a project’s potential impacts to the community and environment before it is slated to begin.