Expanded Power Line Will Cut Through Delaware Water Gap

Susan Phillips

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Susan Phillips tells stories about the consequences of political decisions on people's every day lives. She has worked as a reporter for WHYY since 2004. Susan's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election resulted in a story on the front page of the New York Times. In 2010 she traveled to Haiti to cover the earthquake. That same year she produced an award-winning series on Pennsylvania's natural gas rush called "The Shale Game." She received a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award for her work covering natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. She has also won several Edward R. Murrow awards for her work with StateImpact. In 2013/14 she spent a year at MIT as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow. She has also been a Metcalf Fellow, an MBL Logan Science Journalism Fellow and reported from Marrakech on the 2016 climate talks as an International Reporting Project Fellow. A graduate of Columbia School of Journalism, she earned her Bachelor's degree in International Relations from George Washington University.

October 2, 2012 | 4:13 PM

Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

Towers carrying electricity in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, a nuclear power plant in Delta, Pennsylvania.

The National Park Service has approved a controversial plan to expand a power line that will run through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The Susquehanna-Roseland line will increase capacity for the East Coast, which utilities say is needed to prevent blackouts like the one experienced in 2003. Environmentalists have fought the project, saying it will both damage ecosystems and result in higher electricity prices. The Newark Star-Ledger has more:

After years of debate between power companies and environmentalists, the $1.2 billion Susquehanna-Roseland line got approval from the National Park Service, Public Service Electric & Gas said today.
“This new line will reinforce our nation’s critical energy infrastructure for future generations,” said Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G’s president and CEO in a joint statement with officials from Pennsylvania’s PPL Electric Utilities. “It will ensure that homes and businesses in a multistate region continue to enjoy safe and reliable electric service long into the future.”

The non-profit National Parks Conservation Association released a statement criticizing the decision by the Park Service.
“America’s national parks are not blank spots on the map conveniently set aside for future development projects like super-sized transmission lines,” said Cinda Waldbuesser. “We can meet America’s energy needs without sacrificing our national parks. We must ensure these national treasures are protected for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.”