Photo courtesy Bill Wolfe ©2012
The National Park Service (NPS) is expected to announce its “preferred alternative” for the Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line by the end of March. The transmission line which runs across the Delaware River and Appalachian Trail and through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is slated for a major expansion to bring more coal-fired energy into New Jersey. This project will place 195 foot towers on our National Park lands, scarring the scenic vistas of the parks, destroying wetlands and core forests, and forever changing the way we experience and enjoy two of America’s treasures. We cannot allow our public lands to be jeopardized to support outdated, polluting fossil fuels.
The NPS has already determined the “No Build” Alternative is the best route for the environment in its draft Environmental Impact Statement. We need them to follow the science and facts and select the “No Build” alternative as the “NPS-preferred alternative”.
Help out by making four phone calls today to stop this project!
Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar: (202) 208-7351
Senator Frank Lautenberg: (888) 398-1642
Senator Robert Menendez: (202) 224-4744
Congressman Rush Holt: (202) 225-5801
Tell these leaders:
The “No Build” Alternative to the Susquehanna-Roseland line is best for our environment, our Parks, and our clean energy future and must be the “NPS preferred- alternative” in the Final Environmental Impact Statement! The route that is best for the environment is best for our National Park Lands! Support the NPS is selecting the “No Build” alternative to keep this polluting project out of our National Parks.
Mark your calendars! On Wednesday, March 14th, International Day of Action for Rivers we will be launching a Virtual Rally to protect the Delaware River from the Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line. All week we will be posting on Facebook, tweeting, and working to get 5,000 signatures on a petition to President Obama and Secretary Salazar opposing the Susquehanna-Roseland. We hope you can join us in the week of online action beginning March 14th!
Talking Points:
- All action alternatives will result in an impairment of Park resources; Any “build” alternative would have serious, irreversible impacts on Park resources including endangered species, scenic vistas, forests, and visitor experience. This project will impair the scenic and cultural landscapes that these park units were created to preserve.
- The mitigation plans do not go far enough to prevent the impairment of Park resources:
- The “Mitigation Plan” is a list of Best Management Practices, NOT a plan by the applicant to truly protect our resources
- Construction and access roads will still be in wetlands and wetlands buffers along the entire ROW
- No firm plan in place to combat invasive species or for direct impacts to threatened and endangered species habitats
- Significant roads and sites would be closed to the public as part of the mitigation plan
- Demand response programs, energy efficiency and conservation, and renewable local energy generation can obviate the need for this line, and do not require the use of ratepayer money to construct obsolete infrastructure projects. Energy demand in New Jersey has dropped over the past three years in part due to such programs and this project has not been updated to reflect that change in energy use.
- Impairment of Park resources would not be “temporary.” Construction of access roads, staging areas, widening rights-of-way and the destruction of acres of forests will result in permanent destruction of park resources, especially core forests and landscape connectivity values.
Thanks for all you do,
Kate Millsaps