Propel NY project representatives fielded questions and heard concerns from Glen Head residents at their recent office hours, a one-on-one format.
Representatives have also visited other areas where the transmission lines are planned. Glen Head residents have been vocal about their concerns for nearly two years. Concerns include traffic, effect on businesses, battery storage and health risks related to electromagnetic fields.
Some said they were unhappy with the format of the office hours, held on March 18 at the Glen Head Community Center. Propel representatives set up a table where residents could approach them with questions.
George Pombar, head of the Glen Head Glenwood Landing Civic Council, said that he would have preferred a community meeting. He added that in that setting, those who may not want to ask a question themselves could learn from answers to others’ questions.
Another resident, Rob Mazzella, also said he did not like the office hours format.
In an interview on March 20, Marykate Guilfoyle, manager of media, communications and events for New York Transco said that the team has tried to be “holistic” in its approach to bringing information to residents.
The Propel team offers office hours, webinars, a newsletter and community presentations as methods of community outreach. Some community presentations have been held in person. The most recent was virtual on March 11.
“We try to pick locations for some of those in person presentations that make sure we accommodate multiple communities,” Guilfoyle said on Tuesday, “to make sure we're as accessible as possible.”
Traffic continues to be a concern among community members. Glen Head resident Joseph Lopes, a retired utilities consultant who has worked for multiple entities including the New York Power Authority and New York Independent System Operator, said that he understands the need for the project but would prefer if cables were installed along a different route. He cited traffic as a reason.
“This is a disruption that's unnecessary, because it could be done somewhere else,” Lopes said. “There is a time and place for everything, and I just feel like this is not the time and place for cables running under our busy streets that are already clogged.”
Shannon Baxevanis, NY Transco director of communications and public affairs, said that there will be traffic in places during the project and that the Propel team intends to continue communicating with the public on timing and type of construction and how residents can contact someone to answer questions. She also said traffic management plans will be reviewed with local municipalities, emergency responders and public safety officials.
Residents expressed other concerns like disruptions to businesses, where the transmitted power will come from and electromagnetic fields.
Propel has a survey on its website that businesses can fill out. It includes hours of operation, customer flow, parking and customer access needs and the type and timing of deliveries businesses may receive. Baxevanis explained that the construction team will use the information from survey responses to plan work such that disruptions to businesses are minimized. She provided an example of doing night work in areas where businesses may close in the early evening.
Baxevanis added that there are roughly 100 responses so far. There is no plan for the survey to close.
Residents questioned where the power that is being transmitted on Propel power lines will come from. Some said they were concerned that battery energy storage systems would inevitably follow the installation of transmission lines.
“You put transmission lines and a renewable substation in this community,” said Chrstine Panzeca, a Glen Head resident who has worked alongside Pombar in opposition to the project, “you’re marrying this community to lithium battery storage.”
Lopes described transmission lines leading to battery storage as a “misunderstanding” and explained that while the two may be complementary, they are “completely different things.”
Baxevanis said that Propel is not tied to nor contracted with any battery storage company or offshore wind project. She also said that Propel has no control over what power flows on its lines. The NYISO is responsible for deciding what kind of power will be transmitted.
Panzeca also expressed concerns about health risks from electromagnetic fields from Propel cables combined with existing cables. New York State mandates that magnetic fields from new power lines must be below 200 milligauss and electric fields below 1.6 kilovolts per meter at the right-of-way. The power line’s right-of-way is the section of land where the line is located.
“They’re only considering what’s coming off of their cable there,” Panzeca said. “They’re not considering the overhead lines.”
Baxevanis said that the electric field from Propel lines will be completely eliminated due to being buried underground with concrete and sheathing. She added that the magnetic field will be at or below state limits depending on location in the project. Submitting a report on EMF to ensure compliance with state requirements is included in the regulatory proceeding for the project.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, has found “limited evidence” linking childhood leukemia and extremely low frequency radiation, a type of non-ionizing radiation, from magnetic fields. It also found “inadequate evidence” linking the same radiation and all other cancers. “Inadequate evidence” was also found for a link between extremely low frequency radiation in electric fields and cancer.
Power lines emit extremely low frequency radiation. According to the American Cancer Society, intensity of exposure decreases “significantly” with more distance from the source.
Baxevanis said that responses from the NYISO and other operators have kept New York from having major outages in recent extreme weather.
“We are in essence building a road, a highway for power to travel on, and the existing highways that serve Long Island in the downstate region are aging,” Baxevanis said. “They are constrained, they're congested, and they simply cannot deliver power reliably and efficiently and economically.”
Propel NY is moving through New York State’s Article VII permitting process. It is currently waiting on permits from the New York State Public Service Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers.
In an email, the Public Service Commission’s Public Information Officer Kim Maske wrote that the permitting process is “in progress” on the state and federal levels. She added that the Article VII process is ongoing.
“Department Staff continues to review each filing submitted to the record,” Mashke wrote, “including over 1,300 public comments submitted directly and statements made during multiple public hearings conducted in 2025.”
The Army Corps of Engineers did not respond to request for comments on why it has not issued a permit. The Propel team said the application remains under Army Corp of Engineers review, and the team anticipates a decision by mid-2026.
