MIDDLETOWN, NJ – The Middletown Township Committee strongly urges the state Board of Public Utilities to uphold Judge Cookson’s denial of Jersey Central Power & Light’s controversial Monmouth County Reliability Project (MCRP) at its meeting in Trenton, NJ on Friday, June 22nd.
In March, Administrative Law Judge Gail Cookson denied the MCRP proposed by JCP&L. The MCRP would put a 230-kilovolt line along a 10-mile route in close proximity to residents' homes in Middletown, Holmdel, Hazlet, Red Bank, and Aberdeen. The County Freeholders, the Middletown Board of Education, and the five affected towns all came together to put a stop to this costly project that would devastate neighborhoods.
In her 180-page decision, Judge Cookson referred to the high-voltage power lines as “untried, untested, and likely infeasible due to its narrow width, age, and proximity to residential communities.”
Middletown lead the Municipal Consortium to fight against this unnecessary project by speaking out on behalf of residents and providing legal assistance. Both Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Perry testified before Judge Cookson and NJ Transit on multiple occasions. “Now it’s time for the state to follow suit and accept Judge Cookson’s decision – the right decision,” said Mayor Murray.
“We are extremely proud of what local grassroots organization Residents Against Giant Electric (R.A.G.E.) did to raise awareness and funds to help keep these monster power lines out of our backyards,” said Mayor Murray. “The BPU needs to to listen to the outcry of residents who would be impacted by the MCRP, as well as the judge’s well-researched conclusion, and do the right thing by voting ‘no’ tomorrow.”
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