Bill Text: NJ AR164 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges BPU, DEP, NJT, and Governor to reject Jersey Central Power & Light's application to undertake Monmouth County Reliability Project.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-09-19 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee [AR164 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR164-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman AMY H. HANDLIN
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Urges BPU, DEP, NJT, and Governor to reject Jersey Central Power & Light's application to undertake Monmouth County Reliability Project.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the Governor of New Jersey to reject Jersey Central Power & Light's application to undertake the Monmouth County Reliability Project and any similar electric transmission infrastructure project in Monmouth County in the future.
Whereas, Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), an electric public utility, recently filed a petition with the Board of Public Utilities (board) requesting approval for the proposed Monmouth County Reliability Project (MCRP); and
Whereas, The MCRP also requires the approval of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit), and the Governor of New Jersey; and
Whereas, The MCRP is an electric transmission infrastructure project that would use a NJ Transit railroad right-of-way between Aberdeen and Red Bank to run a new 230 kilovolt electric transmission line, in addition to certain substation enhancements and modern technology upgrades; and
Whereas, JCP&L claims this new transmission line will improve reliability and meet the increasing electricity demand of customers in Monmouth County; and
Whereas, JCP&L has not demonstrated that there is increasing electricity demand in Monmouth County, where population growth has largely been flat and improvements in energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy sources has decreased electricity demand; and
Whereas, The majority of power outages are not caused by transmission line failures but are caused by failures that arise on local distribution lines; and
Whereas, The new transmission line will be set on over 140 monopoles that range from 140 to 210 feet in height and that will stand at a distance of 10 to 12 and half feet from property lines, which will likely diminish property values of residents within sight of the monopoles; and
Whereas, The new transmission line will run through a densely populated area that includes three elementary schools, two senior living communities, a historic district, and a nature preserve; and
Whereas, The MCRP is an unnecessary infrastructure project that will likely decrease surrounding property values and it, and any similar electric transmission infrastructure project in Monmouth County in the future, should be rejected by the board, the DEP, NJ Transit, and the Governor of New Jersey; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the Governor of New Jersey to reject Jersey Central Power & Light's application to undertake the Monmouth County Reliability Project and any similar electric transmission infrastructure project in Monmouth County in the future.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, the Executive Director of New Jersey Transit Corporation, and the Governor of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This Assembly resolution urges the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (board), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit), and the Governor of New Jersey to reject Jersey Central Power & Light's (JCP&L) application to undertake the Monmouth County Reliability Project (MCRP) and any similar electric transmission infrastructure project in Monmouth County in the future. JCP&L recently filed a petition with the board requesting approval for the proposed MCRP and will further require the approval of the DEP, NJ Transit, and the Governor of New Jersey.
The MCRP is an electric transmission infrastructure project that would use a NJ Transit railroad right-of-way between Aberdeen and Red Bank to run a new 230 kilovolt electric transmission line, in addition to certain substation enhancements and modern technology upgrades. JCP&L claims this new transmission line will improve reliability and meet the increasing demand of customers in Monmouth County.
JCP&L has not demonstrated that there is increasing electricity demand in Monmouth County, where population growth has largely been flat and improvements in energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy sources has decreased electricity demand. The majority of power outages are not caused by transmission line failures but are caused by failures that arise on local distribution lines.
The new transmission line will be set on over 140 monopoles that range from 140 to 210 feet in height and that will stand at a distance of 10 to 12 and half feet from property lines, which will likely diminish property values of residents within sight of the monopoles. The new transmission line will run through a densely populated area that includes three elementary schools, two senior living communities, a historic district, and a nature preserve.
