Ridgewood Neighborhood Loudly Opposes PSE&G Project

Residents in a quiet Ridgewood neighborhood are furious Public Service Electric and Gas is installing 65-foot-tall utility poles with high voltage power lines, a move the utility says is necessary with increased energy demands.

The PSE&G project, initially drafted in 2007, connects 69,000-volt wires along a 12-mile stretch from substations in Fair Lawn and Paramus. The utility company maintains it is necessary to beef up energy capacity while also mitigating the potential for blackouts. Most existing residential power lines run about 13,000 volts of electricity.

A council meeting has been set up on Wednesday, where residents opposed to the project are expected to speak. PSE&G meanwhile has halted work until perceived safety and aesthetic concerns are addressed in public, Mayor Paul Aronsohn said.

If you ask residents along Hope Street and Spring Avenue, the PSE&G project is little more than an attempt to railroad people. The poles tower over existing homes, far exceeding the 40-foot height limit found in village code.

"This is not about not-in-my-back-yard," Hope Street resident Alyssa Steinberger told Patch. "It's about a big corporation trying to take advantage of people." 

Residents have also expressed concerns that a felled pole – about 18 feet taller than former poles – could wipe out several homes. They also worry about property values decreasing and believe PSE&G has attempted to skirt regulatory scrutiny.

According to Steinberger, who acts as the spokeswoman for a neighborhood group dubbed "ICARE" (Individuals Concerned about Residential Electricity), residents were caught by surprise with the construction. No one was notified, she says. 

"This isn't an answer to whatever happens with storms in our town," Steinberger said, adding that the poles "wouldn't be so tall if they weren't dangerous."

The utility had considered running lines near the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook but for environmental reasons and expected permitting issues built elsewhere, according to Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser.

The current plan calls for PSE&G to run lines from S. Maple to Spring avenues, then to Hope Street and East Ridgewood Avenue before hitting the substation by the Fashion Center in Paramus. Officials in Glen Rock and Fair Lawn did not field residential complaints when the project began a few months ago.

PSE&G says the new poles (of the roughly 600 proposed, 78 are in Ridgewood) are sturdier than the 40-foot predecessors and can withstand storms the old poles would be damaged by. The new voltage – necessitating taller pole heights – is fast becoming the industry standard, Barbara Lynch, a spokeswoman, told CBS2. 

“There are absolutely no health threats associated that I know of, or that anybody knows of,” Lynch told northjersey.com. “There are no health dangers associated with these upgrades; what they do do is provide a more reliable electrical service. As a company, PSE&G is committed to safe, reliable energy.”

Steinberger said the resident group will assess its options following the Wednesday workshop. PSE&G will not be in attendance Wednesday but will answer questions on July 31 at Village Hall.

The utility is required to finish its power upgrade by December of 2013, Rutishauser said.