A protest against proposed United Illuminating (UI) construction in Fairfield, Southport and Bridgeport drew hundreds of supporters on Sunday afternoon.
The protest was planned by Sasco Creek Environmental Trust Inc., a grassroots organization formed in response to planned upgrades to the UI electrical grid.
The five-phase upgrade plan began construction in 2017. Phase five, which would see seven miles of transmission lines on 100 new poles between the Fairfield border to the Congress substation in Bridgeport, would start construction in 2025 if approved by the Connecticut Siting Council.
According to a project fact sheet on UI’s website, the proposed upgrades will help power lines conform to industry standards.
“The proposed project will help improve the structural integrity and reliability of UI’s transmission system and therefore the reliability and resiliency of the regional electric transmission grid,” the fact sheet reads.
But Fairfield and Southport residents say they were not aware of the plans until recently, and do not feel their voices are being heard now.
Stephanie Coakley, executive director of the Pequot Library in Southport, said they are now trying to organize before the project application is decided on next March.
“Many people hadn't heard about the project until the summer,” Coakley said. “So I think people felt a bit blindsided and that they haven't had a voice. The clock is ticking.”
According to a petition signed by more than 1,000 community members, residents are worried that the project will take over public and private property, diminish property values and damage the environment.
“Should this project proceed as proposed, it will trigger profound and irrevocable consequences, affecting our local economy, environment and overall quality of life,” the petition reads. “Residents, organizations and businesses in Southport, Fairfield and Bridgeport will bear the brunt of this impact.”
The Pequot Library is one of the locations that would receive a new monopole.
“The towering pole slated for Pequot Library's property will be 75 feet higher than the top of our beautiful red tile roof,” Coakley said. “It will tower over our beautiful building and landscape and be so much closer to the library than the transmission lines currently are.”
Coakley said the group is instead hoping UI can find a way to install the updates in a way that is less invasive.
“We very much recognize the need for improved infrastructure,” Coakley said. “I've learned a lot about the electrical grid in the last few weeks. It's just that we're seeking an alternative solution to the transmission needs rather than overhead cables, but perhaps underground.”
UI defended the plan in a statement to WSHU.
“We are committed to working with town leadership and adhering to the processes set forth by the Connecticut Siting Council,” UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos said.
“As essential functions like transportation and home heating increasingly rely on electricity, transmission upgrades like this one are imperative if we are to meet growing demand and connect clean energy sources to residences and businesses across Fairfield and all of Connecticut, in line with the public policy goals set out by the legislature and the Lamont administration.”
The plan has drawn opposition from local, state and federal leaders, including U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D, CT-04), State Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield) and Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick (R).
Read their letters, linked in the petition, here.
