State lawmakers blast PSEG for ‘industrial’ 80-foot poles installed between Eastport and Riverhead

State Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele are demanding that PSEG-LI remove the new steel poles and overhead lines being installed between Eastport and Riverhead and bury the power lines instead.

PSEG-LI is finishing up the nearly $32 million power-line project begun this spring aimed at fortifying the transmission line between its Eastport substation and the Riverhead substation off West Main Street. The project includes replacing 175 wood poles with 80-foot steel poles – 150 of them along County Road 51.

The new poles have drawn complaints from residents and businesses in the area.

LaValle and Thiele say the utility made decisions without regard to the residents, the character of the area, and the environmental impact of the newly installed poles and large foundations. They also complained that PSEG-LI did not adequately disclose the size of the new poles to community members and officials.

“Once again, PSEG-LI has failed to consider the community and the environmental impact of their actions,” LaValle said. “I have long fought to maintain the rural character of all of the hamlets in my senate district. Our communities deserve reliable power, but these industrial towers are not the method to deliver it.”

Thiele agreed. ”These poles are completely at odds with the rural character of our area and must be removed,” he said. Removal and burying the lines is “the only acceptable solution,” Thiele said. “PSEG-LI needs to learn not to desecrate our beautiful communities.”

PSEG has cited cost as the prohibitive factor. Burying 69,000-volt power lines costs upwards of $6 million per mile, according to the utility.

“We have had and are continuing discussions with the local stakeholders to develop solutions to address concerns,” PSEG-LI spokesperson Elizabeth Flagler said. “PSEG Long Island is committed to customer satisfaction and providing a resilient, safe and reliable electric system, while balancing the impact of cost to all our customers.”