DiMaso speaks against the ‘Monmouth Reliability Project’ on behalf of Freeholder Board

Video courtesy of John Schneider

Freeholders from New Jersey Bayshore on Vimeo.

• Tweet

JCP&L Acts to Protect Osprey

photo via JCP&L

Jersey Central Power and Light, the electric utility that services Monmouth County, announced today that they have expanded an environmental program to help protect New Jersey’s threatened ospreys.

The company is surveying their poles and other equipment to determine where osprey are nesting—or have given indication of future nesting–and then building new nesting platforms where the birds will not be in danger due to the proximity to electrical equipment. Specialized equipment is installed to divert and discourage ospreys from nesting in potentially hazardous locations.

Two osprey nests within JCP&L’s Monmouth and Ocean service territories, one in Union Beach and another in Brick, were relocated in 2016.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

JCP&L relocating regional headquarters to historic N.J. building

HOLMDEL – One of the state’s largest energy providers announced Thursday that it plans to relocate its regional headquarters to the 2-million-square-foot Bell Works site on Crawfords Corner Road. Jersey Central Power & Light, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., formally signed a 10-year lease with Somerset Development on Thursday to occupy 64,000 square feet of the… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Congressman Smith to NJ Transist: Don’t allow JCP&L power lines

Congressman Chris Smith

NEWARK, N.J.—Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) testified today before the New Jersey Transit Corporation Board of Directors in an effort to convince the agency to reject the Jersey Central Power & Light Co (JCP&L) application to utilize the transit agency’s right-of-way for the proposed “Monmouth County Reliability Project.” JCP&L has proposed the 10-mile-long transmission line be placed through residential neighborhoods along NJT’s North Jersey Coast line, creating an undue burden for large numbers of people in five Monmouth County municipalities.

“Some may argue that there is little or no adverse health link to exposure to the electromagnetic fields created by these high-voltage lines, and may produce select studies that suggest that,” said Smith, Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on global health in his expert testimony. “But there is statistically relevant evidence–including studies–that suggest otherwise.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Beck and Kyrillos Oppose Giant Power Lines

Senators Joe Kyrillos and Jennifer Beck announced this morning that they have introduced three resolutions in State Senate in opposition to the JCP&L project known as the Monmouth Reliability Project.

The project would drive a 230-kV transmission line on 140-foot-tall monopole towers on a nearly 10-mile path from Aberdeen to Red Bank, cutting through Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown and across the Navesink River with sight exposure to Fair Haven and Rumson.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Congressman Smith Statement on JCP&L Withdraw of Petition

Congressman Chris Smith and Freeholder Lillian Burry

FREEHOLD, N.J. – Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today issued a statement regarding Jersey Central Power & Light Company (JCP&L) and Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission, LLC (MAIT) withdrawing their petition to the Board of Public Utilities for the transfer of some of JCP&L’s transmission assets to MAIT.

“I am encouraged that Jersey Central Power & Light Company (JCP&L) has withdrawn its petition to the Board of Public Utilities for the transfer of some of JCP&L’s transmission assets to a new sister company,” Smith said. “Had it been approved, I believe it would have made it easier for JCP&L to build the Monmouth County Reliability Project, which I believe is ill-conceived and not in the best interest of the residents. There is still more to be done to protect the citizens of Monmouth County from the potential negative effects of these proposed high voltage transmission lines, and I will continue to work with the residents and grassroots efforts to complete this task. I have a meeting with NJ Transit next week to do just that, and will continue working with other officials in this regard.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Monmouth County Reliability Project Sheds Light on the State’s Continued Skim on Taxpayers

By Tony Fiore, Middletown Deputy Mayor

The recent filing of the proposed JCP&L Monmouth County Reliability Project should serve as a wake-up call to all taxpayers in the state of New Jersey.   The proposed 10 mile project with upwards of 200 foot monopoles to be installed on New Jersey Transit right-of way, will have a negative impact on the property values of all adjoining properties and potentially, properties within the line of site.  The impact alone in Middletown could be upwards of $1.5 million in lost value. However, don’t despair taxpayers of Middletown, Holmdel, Hazlet, Aberdeen and Red Bank, according to their BPU filing, JCP&L will be making a $9.8 million payment towards the local municipalities through Energy Receipts taxes.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

JCP&L Takes Another Run at Spinning off Transmission Assets

 Jersey Central Power & Light is still trying to win regulatory approval to spin off its transmission assets into a separate company. In an amended petition, the state’s second-largest electric utility is slightly modifying a previous proposal rejected earlier this year by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. In denying the spin-off, the board balked… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

The Arnone Report: Shark River Dredging To Resume, Freeholders Support Mayors’ and Assemblywoman Handlin’s Efforts With JCP&L

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

It’s finally here …summer has returned! I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having lately, and enjoying all that our beautiful Monmouth County has to offer – beaches, parks, lakes, rivers, boardwalks, lighthouses, museums, theaters, historical sites, restaurants and much more. Our tourist season is in full swing, and according to early estimates, we are paced to match or exceed last year’s numbers, providing economic stability here in our region.

Speaking of tourist season, I am happy to report that the dredging of the Shark River is set to restart in the next few weeks, getting us closer to increasing the recreational side of the Shark River corridor as well as restoring the channels for our commercial fishing industry. As you may know, the dredging had started late last fall and was halted on January 1, 2016, due to state regulations in place to protect spawning and the early life stages of winter flounder and anadromous fish. The dredging project is moving along nicely due to a coalition of State, County and local leaders that effectively advocated for the project, including Senator Jen Beck, Committeeman Randy Bishop, County of Monmouth, Board of Chosen Freeholders, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) Office of Maritime Resources, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP), and the governing bodies of the participating municipalities including Neptune City, Neptune, Belmar, and Wall.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Storm leaves more than 1K without power, delays school in Monmouth, Ocean counties

The storm that brought rain and strong gusts of wind to New Jersey overnight caused nearly 2,000 customers in Monmouth and Ocean counties to wake up without power on Thursday morning. As of 6 a.m. Jersey Central Power & Light was reporting that 1,256 of its customers in Monmouth County were without power, with Long Branch… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet