A plan to string a very high-power line across the Lehigh Valley appears back in play even though PPL abandoned it two years ago.

PPL prefers a route running north of the Valley and through the Delaware Water Gap. But the National Park Service has announced it will conduct environmental studies on that and two other routes, including the one through the Valley.

And the Allentown company would need a park service permit to upgrade existing lines that run through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which the federal agency oversees.

Park service studies of all three routes from PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County to Roseland, N.J., near Newark, could take three years, PPL spokesman Paul Wirth said Friday.

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A Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission administrative law judge Friday (11/13) recommended approval of the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland power line in Pennsylvania.

“Today’s recommendation is another important step in the PUC review process for a new transmission line that will improve the reliability of electric service for millions of people in Pennsylvania and throughout the region,” said David E. Schleicher, vice president-Transmission for PPL Electric Utilities.

The power line will strengthen the regional electric grid and prevent overloads on other major power lines, ensuring that electricity users will continue to have power when they need it the most – the hottest summer days and the coldest winter nights.

PPL Electric Utilities hosted 22 public open houses since announcing the project and has participated in four public input hearings run by the PUC. In addition, the company has had thousands of conversations with residents along the route, seeking input on everything from route selection to power line design.

“We will continue to keep an open dialogue with residents, public officials and other interested parties as this project moves forward,” Schleicher said.

The next step in Pennsylvania is review of the recommended decision by the PUC, which is expected to render a decision in January.

The line, which runs from Berwick, Pa., to Roseland, N.J., also needs approval by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Additional review is required by the National Park Service because the line follows the route of an existing power line through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and because it crosses the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.pplreliablepower.com.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) that provides electricity delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania, has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.

 PPL spokesperson Paul Wirth explained that the line is needed to continue delivering reliable electricity to residents.

Noting the transmission line is needed to strengthen the power grid, Mr. Wirth said easements have been acquired along the project’s proposed route.

Towers on the transmission line are expected to be on average 175 feet tall.

“These 20-story-high structures will affect the beauty of Lackawanna County without benefiting the residents,” said Nancy Jackman of Clarks Summit.

Although the majority of residents who spoke Thursday questioned the benefit of the proposed power line, retired PPL employee and Clarks Summit resident John LoRusso said the project will increase transmission reliability.

He said the existing power line is “way beyond its useful life.”

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According to Administrative Law Judge Susan Colwell, additional hearings were not scheduled as of Thursday. Judge Colwell said she expects to recommend a decision by Nov. 13, with a PUC meeting to be held in January.

The proposed Susquehanna-Roseland Line is the subject of much litigation before the PUC.  Both PJM and PPL state that the line is needed to relieve congestion and promote more reliability of electric power through northeastern Pennsylvania.

At its Public Meeting of May 28, 2009, the PUC voted 5-0 to reverse a decision of Administrative Law Judge Susan Colwell, the presiding officer in the case. Judge Colwell had ruled that the protest of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association and the Lackawanna Valley Conservancy was filed a month after the regulatory deadline and as a result, dismissed the protest and intervention. In a Motion by Vice Chairman Tyrone Christy, the filing was reinstated and both groups are now allowed to participate in the case.

Despite the fact that all the legally required notices were published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and the groups clearly failed to meet the deadlines prescribed by law, Vice Chairman Christy opined that members of the public do not always read the Pennsylvania Bulletin. He added that since the groups filed their protests within a reasonable amount of time following the public input hearings, the groups should be admitted into the case. He also added that allowance of intervention is a matter within the Commission’s discretion.

A few of them spoke in favor of the jobs and infrastructure the project could bring to Northeast Pennsylvania. However, the majority of those who spoke at Newton-Ransom Fire Hall were concerned about the same thing: possible negative impacts the proposed 500-kilovolt line would have on the environment, health and aesthetics of the area, if built along its proposed route.

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The utilities contend the project is necessary to prevent overloads on 23 existing transmission lines in Pennsylvania and New Jersey by 2013.

Many those who testified in front of PUC administrative law judge, Susan Solwell, wanted to know “why the circuitous route?”

After the meeting, PPL spokesman Paul Wirth, said “When you have an existing power line, if you follow that, it has less impact than creating a new power line, where one doesn’t exist. It’s worth it to us to go farther … then it has less impact overall.”

Private citizens as well as representatives from various environmental groups like the Sierra Club and community groups such as the Scranton-Abingtons Planning Association, doubted the local need for the line, and were concerned that much of its power go elsewhere, such as New Jersey.

Many also wanted to see more alternative energy, given recent state legislation.

“Does PPL fund any research in alternative or renewable energy?” Lee Jamison, president of SAPA and Newton Twp. resident, said. “It’s probably fair to say that it’s far less than what PPL is prepared to spend on this project.”

An electrical construction worker who builds power lines across the country, Jason Bonner of Lackawaxen, supports the project. He scoffed at the idea people would support alternative energy because it, too, could affect places people care about.

“We could saturate the top of the Delaware Gap Ridge with windmills,” he said.

Also in favor of the project is David Blauer, a representative of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 1319. He said the project could provide jobs for the 70 unemployed line workers in his union, among other potential benefits.

“It would probably provide us with about three years worth of work,” he said.

 We spend millions of dollars each year to maintain our lines and keep service reliable. But as every car owner understands, maintenance expenses grow as the car gets older. Sooner or later, you face a tough decision: Put more money into fixing up the old car or buy a new one? We are at that point with the electricity infrastructure.

Over the next 10 years, we plan to invest more than $2 billion in replacing aging power lines and building new ones where the growth in electricity use has pushed the existing system to its limits.

Building new power lines isn’t popular. Few people want to see transmission lines when they look out of their kitchen windows. We understand that. We go to great lengths to solicit public input on every power line project we do.

For example, while planning the Susquehanna-Roseland project, a proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line that will strengthen the regional grid across northeastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, we held more than 20 open houses in communities along the proposed route. We received thousands of comments. We used the feedback we received from residents, customers and community leaders to select a route that would have the least impact on the community and the environment.

Upgrading infrastructure also gives us an opportunity to set the stage for a smarter, safer and more efficient power grid that can respond quickly to problems, inform customers of changes in power supply prices and seamlessly accommodate the intermittent flow of power from wind farms and solar panels.

We’ve already started the move to a smarter grid by giving all of our customers advanced meters that can let them track and share monthly, daily and hourly information about their electricity use and take greater control of their electricity purchases. Our meters can help our customers save money.

We now have a unique opportunity to build the power lines, switches and substations that meet the needs not only of our customers today, but also can well serve our children and grandchildren. As we do that, we will not overlook our responsibility to replace and build lines the right way — with public involvement, openness and respect for landowners and the environment.

Our decisions won’t always be popular, but they will be made with an eye toward the future and based on the best interests of our customers and the communities we serve.

6:30 p.m. May 21, 2009
Newton Ransom Fire Hall
1890 Newton Ransom Blvd.
Clarks Summit, PA 18411

Information on the transmission line siting process is available on the Commission’s Web site.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the hearings and provide comments. Customer testimony will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision. The PUC and state Office of Consumer Advocate, which represents residential customers in rate cases, offer tips on how to participate.
They include:

Sign in to testify when you arrive. The judge will call witnesses to speak from the order they have signed in.

Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.

Bring copies. If you have a written statement you would like to give to the judge as evidence, please bring two copies for the court reporter and several copies for the other participants.

Your testimony will not become part of the record in the proceeding unless you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give is truthful.

Plan to be questioned. Parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.

In considering the project, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission will balance the needs of consumers and utilities to ensure safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protect the public interest; educate consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; further economic development; and foster new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Running from Berwick, PA, past Wilkes-Barre, then East to Hawley and Southeast to Bushkill where the line crosses the Delaware river and ends in Roseland, NJ, the Susquehanna-Roseland power line project will help ensure continued safe and reliable electric service for customers in eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania and throughout the region.

March 30, 2009

Another round of public open houses April 13-16

As part of our continuing effort to include information from the public in our plans to build the Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line, we have scheduled four more open houses from April 13-16. In addition to these open houses sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities, the Public Utility Commission will schedule public input hearings as part of its review of the line.

During prior open houses, and in other conversations with residents and property owners, we have received valuable input on our plans. We urge you to attend these events both to learn about what is going on with the project and to provide your input and suggestions to us.

There is no set agenda for these meetings and there will be no formal presentations.
Open houses are scheduled to take place from 6-8 p.m. on:

Monday, April 13
Newton Ransom Fire Hall
1890 Newton Ransom Blvd.
Clarks Summit, PA 18411

Tuesday, April 14
PPL Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center
Route 6
Hawley, PA 18428

Wednesday, April 15
Black Diamond Post 395 -
American Legion
386 Wyoming Ave. No. 2
Kingston, PA 18704

Thursday, April 16
Fernwood Hotel and Resort
River Road and Route 209
Bushkill, PA 18324

For more information, please call our special toll-free Susquehanna-Roseland information line at 1-800-291-5403 or visit the project Web site, www.pplreliablepower.com. We hope to see you there.