Senator Beck, Mayor Menna, RiverCenter’s Adams Call on NJNG to Cooperate with Local Officials on Red Bank Regulator Replacement

Red Bank— Saying that New Jersey Natural Gas officials are being uncooperative with local officials, Senator Jennifer Beck (R- Monmouth) held a press conference with Mayor Pasquale Menna and Rivercenter Executive Director Nancy Adams to demand NJNG work cooperatively with local officials toward a solution in vetting alternatives to the utility’s planned regulator replacement program.

NJNG plans on replacing 88 natural gas pressure regulators currently located below highly trafficked sidewalks on Front, Broad, and Monmouth Streets, bringing the devices above ground. The company has refused to release details of its decision making process and any alternative locations for the regulators that were considered, despite requests from the Senator and Red Bank officials.

“NJNG is being unresponsive and heavy handed with the Borough of Red Bank,” Beck said. “They have admitted that there are alternatives to the current plan, but will not discuss what those options are or why they were not chosen. You don’t see these devices placed as prominently, or in as great a number, very often in the downtown district of a busy municipality. Why is this solution the only one that works for Red Bank?”

“Let me be clear, safety should be our first priority,” Beck continued. “However, that does not excuse NJNG’s refusal to explain their decision making process.”

Beck and Mayor Menna have written to state Board of Public Utilities Officials asking for their support in delaying the project until an acceptable remedy can be agreed to by all parties and NJNG releases their internal study on alternatives.

“If it is really necessary to disrupt our downtown business district like this, then we need to understand why,” said Mayor Menna. “And if there were alternatives that could have been pursued but were not, we need to understand the reasoning. We should not have to beg to get NJNG officials to be forthcoming with us.”

Red Bank RiverCenter’s Executive Director, Nancy Adams, also expressed concern over the lack of cooperation by company officials. RiverCenter is a non-profit partnership dedicated to promoting revitalization of Red Bank’s downtown business district.

“We have been successful in promoting Red Bank as a destination for businesses, merchants, restaurants, and night life because elected officials, volunteers, and the business community worked together,” Adams stated. “We need NJNG to work with us too.”

Senator Beck said that she will submit legislation at the Senate’s March 15, 2012 voting session that would direct the BPU to require gas utilities planning regulator replacement projects to study less disruptive locations for the devices. The bill also requires the gas utility make public the findings of the study, and to return any disrupted property and infrastructure to its original condition.

“If NJNG refuses to be a good corporate citizen and come to the table, then we must act through the legislative process to force them to consider the needs of this community and others that may find themselves in similar situations,” Beck said. “If there is a more palatable alternative that will provide the same public safety protections, it ought to be presented as an option to local officials.”

Posted: March 14th, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Jennifer Beck, Press Release, Red Bank | Tags: Board of Public Utilities, BPU, Jen Beck, Jennifer Beck, Mayor Pasquale Menna, Nancy Adams, New Jersey Natural Gas, NJNJ, Pat Menna, Red Bank, Red Bank Regulator Replacement, Red Bank Rivercenter, Rivercenter, Senator Jennifer Beck | 1 Comment »

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19,314 Still Without Power In Monmouth County

It was nice to wake up in air conditioning and not have to head off to Starbucks or McDonalds for power and Wifi.

I spent more time inside McDonalds this week since, well since ever.  I would have had to work at a McDonalds to have spent more time inside one than I did this week.  Perhaps it is an indication of the state of the economy.  Perhaps it is a indication of McDonalds’ recruitment and training. Perhaps it is an indication of my prejudices. Perhaps all of the above.  It seems to me that the people working at the McDonalds on Route 35 in Middletown and the one on Route 36 in Leonardo are decidedly more middle class than I expected.   They are friendly, articulate, accommodating and industrious.  No one asked me, “Would you like fries with that?”  I learned what a McFlurry is.

Governor’s Conference Call

Last night I was invited to listen into a conference call Governor Christie held with his cabinet and elected officials throughout the State.  Christie has been holding these calls at least daily since the days before Irene hit.

Despite the mixed reviews I had heard about these calls from several elected officials who had been on them during the week, I was impressed.

I am impressed with the quality of the team that Governor Christie has assembled to manage our State government.  Over the course of my career I have participated in or been privy too several executive level conferences in both the private and public sector. In very large enterprises and small.  Christie’s team stands out. They are extraordinarily competent and focused on getting the job done.

There was quite a bit of conversation about JCP&L.  Monmouth County is not the only place suffering with JCP&L’s inadequate and disingenuous response to the storm.  Mayor Timothy McDonough of Warren County’s Hope Township reported frustrations with JCP&L that are very similar to what we’ve experienced in Monmouth County. 

BPU President Lee Solomon recounted a conversation with JCP&L executives who asked him what more he thought they should be doing. “Tell your people to tell the truth,” Soloman said, “if your people are talking to a mayor or councilman, tell them the truth.  Don’t tell them what you think they want to hear or what you think will make them go away.”    Imagine that.

Christie and Solomon said they’d be talking further about JCP&L after the call last night.  Solomon said BPU was focused on getting all the power up and that JCP&L was on his radar for further work after the crisis has past.

Christie said that since Sunday the utilities have been restoring power at a rate of 8900 customers per hour.  JCP&L has obviously been dragging down that average.  Overnight last night they restored power at a rate of little over 1000 customers per hour just in Monmouth County.

The contrast between PSEG’s response to Irene and JCP&L’s response is like comparing the Yankees to the Mets.  Sorry Governor.

PSEG vs. JCPL

As of early this morning, PSEG has 15,000 customerswithout power in their entire service area.  There service area includes Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Passaic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset Counties.

JCP&Lhas 19,314 customers without power just in Monmouth County. They have 13,834 customers without power in Morris County, 9934 in Sussex County, 5941 in Hunterdon County, 6732 in Somerset County, 3643 in Union County, 3324 in Essex, and 3124 in Warren.  If I missed any…so did JCP&L.

A loyal MMM reader provided an antedotal contrast between PSEG and JCP&L:

My father was a construction super for PSE&G for 40 years.  I am literally first person in my family who came to this country who not to work for PSE&G— great grandfather when it was a trolly car company, my grandfather, my father and uncles, etc. all worked for PSE&G.  Every time there were events like this my father would be living in portable trailers at job sites for months at a time.  He always said JCPL sucked and never invested in infrastructure since they were bought by First Energy out of Ohio.  PSE&G would have to bail them out all the time.  PSE&G is a New Jersey company with more than 100 year history here.  Most of its employees all live here too. Note where First Energy’s executive’s live:  https://www.firstenergycorp.com/about/leadership_team.html.

That story is consistent with the graphic that greets visitors to PSEG’s website:

Contrast that to the lunatic who says he’s a JCP&L lineman that has been harassing me and Mike Halfacre in the comments here and on facebook.  I hope that rectum crater is not really a JCP&L lineman blogging during this crisis, but given the JCP&L response and the info he has given me to contact his union office, I wonder.  I’ll be contacting his union and continuing to delete is his comments here.

Estimated Customers Out For
MONMOUTH County
As of Sep 1, 2011 6:29 AM

Total Out = 19314

Posted: September 1st, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Hurricane Irene, JCP&L | Tags: BPU, Chris Christie, Hurricane Irene, JCP&L, Lee Solomon, McDonald's, Mike Halfacre, PSEG, Starbucks | 2 Comments »

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