The Connecticut Siting Council has formally rejected a plan to put taller monopoles in Fairfield County.
Council members voted six to one to reject the proposal. It would have seen electrical infrastructure up to 18 stories tall put up in Bridgeport and Fairfield.
Residents and local officials wanted United Illuminating to bury the lines and to spare public and private property during construction. The company has said putting the lines underground would be too expensive.
Thursday’s decision was celebrated by the community and criticized by the utility company.
“Throughout this process, our community has consistently expressed strong concerns, and we are grateful that the voices of residents, local leaders, religious institutions, businesses and preservationists were heard,” Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale said. “We remain committed to protecting our neighborhoods, small businesses, environment, and quality of life while continuing to work collaboratively with state partners and United Illuminating on responsible, community-centered solutions.”
“This serves no one: not Bridgeport and Fairfield, which are at greatest risk for outage risk and safety hazards; not MetroNorth or I-95, whose commuters travel under and nearby 60-plus-year-old electric infrastructure every day; and certainly not the state of Connecticut, whose important goals and objectives all fundamentally rely on a safe, reliable electric grid,” UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos said. “As UI evaluates all options going forward, it’s time for the Council to put politics aside and do the right thing for all Connecticut communities.”
UI now has three options: abandon the project they’ve been working on for nearly a decade, appeal the decision to the state superior court, or file a new project with the Siting Council.
A comprehensive timeline of the project is here.
