FAIRFIELD, CT — As United Illuminating’s proposed monopole transmission line project continues to wind its way through the approval process, the utility company and Fairfield continue to be at odds over the plan.
Town officials recently released a thorough look at the project — referred to as “A Deeper Dive” —that updated residents on the proposal, and outlined the town’s objections. Those objections were documented in briefs and letters to the Connecticut Siting Council, the governing body that will give final approval on the project.
In a statement to Patch, Sarah Wall Fliotsos, spokesperson for UI, took exception to some of the depictions in the deeper dive report, namely that UI would remove structures that impeded the project. Fliotsos offered the below contract language, in which she highlighted some passages, that stress that UI would rebuild any structures that it damages.
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UI says it will need easements to install the dozens of monopoles, if the project is approved, but the company plans to work with impacted property owners.
“While we welcome community interest and engagement throughout the Fairfield to Congress transmission rebuild project, facts matter,” Fliotsos said in the statement. “The Town of Fairfield’s dissemination of inaccurate claims and misleading photographic depictions regarding the project’s impacts in its ‘Deeper Dive’ email distribution is therefore disappointing. It is essential to discuss the merits of this important project in good faith. UI’s proposal, which is currently under review by the Connecticut Siting Council, will modernize infrastructure that is more than 60 years old, fortify the grid for electrification demands expected to double for New England customers by 2050, add several million dollars to the Town’s property tax base, and create long-term economic opportunities, while controlling costs borne by all ratepayers and minimizing community and environmental impacts. We look forward to working with the Town of Fairfield to implement the project design that the Siting Council ultimately approves.”
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The Siting Council is slated to issue draft findings on the proposal on Feb. 1, and a final decision a month-and-a-half later on March 17, according to town officials.
Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber, in a statement to Patch, stood by the town’s reporting on the project, reminding residents that eminent domain remains on the table, if the project is approved.
“I would like to remind people that United Illuminating is a for-profit corporation that has a duty to its shareholders,” Gerber said. “My duty is to the people of Fairfield. There is a reason that UI would like to minimize concerns over their proposed project. UI cannot guarantee that private property owners will agree to their easement terms, and if there’s no agreement, UI will exercise eminent domain to forcibly take the property rights. It is undisputed that the form of easement UI submitted to the Connecticut Siting Council gives UI the right to remove structures. We have no reason to believe that UI will be more forthcoming than they have been to date. We will continue to fight this issue. The Town of Fairfield’s position on the merits of this project are in our submitted brief, which can be found here: DO516FairfieldBriefFOFcombined_a.pdf (ct.gov).”
Gerber also provided a separate link to the brief on the docket: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CSC/1_Dockets-medialibrary/1_M.
— Portion of contract language provided by United Illuminating; text highlighted by UI
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