That's probably because no matter what's offered, folks immediately jump on the bandwagon against this or that project proposal.
Two cases in point come to mind for the South Shore.
In the first, Maine-based Neptune Regional Transmission Systems, LLC proposed last fall to stretch an electric-transmission cable from New Jersey, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Cedar Creek County Park in Wantagh. The cable, which would send electricity from the Northeast Power Grid directly to the Island, would provide enough juice to light 600,000 homes -- the equivalent of 13.5 44-megawatt power plants.
Nassau County Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick), who spoke favorably of the project at first, quickly backed away from it when a relatively small number of residents, mostly from Wantagh, spoke out against the project during a meeting he convened. County Executive Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) then said flatly that he wouldn't support the proposal.
That effectively killed the cable.
We wonder why Suozzi and Denenberg were so quick to drop a $400 million project that could have powered half of Nassau County while potentially reducing the Island's exorbitant electric rates.
The cable could have provided a clean, reliable power source for the entire Island, which continually seems on the verge of a blackout over the summer. At the same time, it could have brought millions of dollars for Nassau if a small section of Cedar Creek Park, where a car impoundment lot now sits, were sold to Neptune to build a transformer needed for the project. Finally, there were talks of Neptune building a skateboard park or other similar facility at Cedar Creek if the cable went through.
The highly vocal Wantagh civic activists against the project said the transformer at Cedar Creek would have posed a potential fire hazard. But local fire officials said they didn't see any unusual threat from the transformer.
The activists also said the transformer would hurt property values. Yet, it would have sat behind a sewage treatment plant far from any homes.
We can only think that Suozzi and Denenberg feared the likely backlash from the well-organized civic activists. One activist even threatened a political "firestorm" if the cable went through.
Suozzi and Denenberg shouldn't have given into such grandstanding. They should have acted in the best interests of Nassau County and Long Island. That would have meant convening real public hearings to give the cable proposal a fair chance, but it was never allowed to see the light of day. Neptune officials are still lobbying for the project, but without county officials' support, it doesn't stand much of a chance.
In the second case, the Long Island Power Authority is now proposing construction of a "wind farm," powered by giant windmills, in the Atlantic Ocean about three miles off Jones Beach.
Numerous local residents have decried the project, saying it would destroy the magnificent views of the Atlantic from Jones Beach.
Yes, the windmills would detract from the view, but such a project would provide power to Long Island in a clean, safe way. This project, too, deserves public hearings and further study, which it will likely get. The Long Island Power Authority, headed by Chairman Richard Kessel of Merrick, appears committed to it.
Interestingly, with the cable, the wind farm might be rendered unnecessary.
In the end, people must make a choice -- more power plants or alternative energy sources for Long Island. No matter how clean burning, power plants bring pollution, which is, of course, hazardous to people's health.
LIPA is building two new power plants this summer -- one in Bellport, the other in Far Rockaway. The Village of Freeport is erecting two plants as well, across from Merrick, to replace a highly polluting diesel-electric plant that people fear was responsible for numerous cancer deaths in the area.
Alternative energy sources, such as the cable and the wind farm, can be scary. Power plants are scarier. Let's give alternative energy a chance and at least listen to the proposals that emerge.
