FirstEnergy is at it again. Its affiliate JCP&L's "Montville-Whippany Reinforcement Project" not only gave the New Jersey towns of Parsippany and Montville the ol' bait and switch, it's deep into dividing and conquering both of the towns by throwing the focus on shoving the line off onto someone else and pitting neighbor against neighbor, instead of allowing BOTH towns to join forces and focus on the real enemy -- FirstEnemy... errr... Energy!
Last year JCP&L held "open house" sessions for a route through Parsippany. The townsfolk jumped all over opposing the line, forming a grassroots opposition group and making a lot of noise. Last week, JCP&L held another series of open houses announcing they had selected a different route through neighboring Montville.
Montville has already been ground zero for PSE&G's "Susquehanna Roseland" transmission project. I guess the geniuses at JCP&L think transmission lines are like potato chips -- you can never have just one? So, not only is Montville already an experienced transmission opposition warrior, but JCP&L had to go and enrage the town's leadership with its tired, old "open house" meeting format, which the mayor referred to as "the stations of the cross."
Last year JCP&L held "open house" sessions for a route through Parsippany. The townsfolk jumped all over opposing the line, forming a grassroots opposition group and making a lot of noise. Last week, JCP&L held another series of open houses announcing they had selected a different route through neighboring Montville.
Montville has already been ground zero for PSE&G's "Susquehanna Roseland" transmission project. I guess the geniuses at JCP&L think transmission lines are like potato chips -- you can never have just one? So, not only is Montville already an experienced transmission opposition warrior, but JCP&L had to go and enrage the town's leadership with its tired, old "open house" meeting format, which the mayor referred to as "the stations of the cross."
The Committee expected the mayor to give an opening statement and then JCP&L would give their presentation, followed by a question-and-answer period. A committee member said that it turned out to be a JCP&L public relations presentation, and the company made no effort to discuss the problems and possible solutions.
So, now the town will be holding its own public meeting, where residents and town leaders will make their own list of demands. The town expects JCP&L will subsequently negotiate modifications to the plan that would lessen impact on residents. Good luck, Montville, and remember, delay is your friend! :-)
Will the utilities ever learn? Their old routines no longer work on an increasingly educated and savvy public. The "open house" is no longer effective in dividing and neutralizing potential opposition. Heck, we use your stupid "open houses" as handy-dandy meet-n-greets to recruit new opposition. It's cheaper and easier when you all do the mailings and media to get affected landowners to a centralized location where they can be recruited by opposition groups.
The only citizens who leave those meetings with a warm, fuzzy feeling are those who find out that their property is nowhere near the project. The rest of them leave confused, shell-shocked... and angry. And they form and join opposition groups that increase costs and delay projects, sometimes even causing the project to be abandoned.
The days of running over the public with stupid PR tricks in order to build overhead transmission are over. The public demands transparency, integrity and better solutions.
Time for a new schtick, FirstEnergy.
Will the utilities ever learn? Their old routines no longer work on an increasingly educated and savvy public. The "open house" is no longer effective in dividing and neutralizing potential opposition. Heck, we use your stupid "open houses" as handy-dandy meet-n-greets to recruit new opposition. It's cheaper and easier when you all do the mailings and media to get affected landowners to a centralized location where they can be recruited by opposition groups.
The only citizens who leave those meetings with a warm, fuzzy feeling are those who find out that their property is nowhere near the project. The rest of them leave confused, shell-shocked... and angry. And they form and join opposition groups that increase costs and delay projects, sometimes even causing the project to be abandoned.
The days of running over the public with stupid PR tricks in order to build overhead transmission are over. The public demands transparency, integrity and better solutions.
Time for a new schtick, FirstEnergy.
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