A group of residents have sued the Town of East Hampton, Long Island, to block developers of an offshore wind project from burying a high-powered transmission cable under Wainscott Beach.
Orsted and Eversource won approval from the town last month to bring the cable to shore. Power from the South Fork Wind Farm would be transferred from the beach, through town-owned right of ways, to an electric substation.
The Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott called the approval a money grab for the town. The developers are expected to give East Hampton $29 million over the next 25 years in exchange for the easements.
The group also claims the years-long approval process was rushed. They said the town wanted to act before Wainscott residents attempted to incorporate into a village government. That would give them some control over their beaches.
The town is scheduled to hold a hearing Friday on the plan to incorporate Wainscott.
