Residents protest tree cutting

West Amwell citizens are upset over the PSE&G practice of clear-cutting trees beneath power lines on Alexauken Creek Road.

By: Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — The 20 or so adults had no trouble articulating their position against the PSE&G practice of clear-cutting trees that stand beneath power lines along Alexauken Creek Road.
   But it was 7-year-old Andrew Voorhees who tugged at the heartstrings when he said, "I think clear-cutting is wrong."
   Later, as he stood at the shoulder of seated PSE&G Regional Public Affairs Manager George Sous, he broke down in tears over the prospect of losing any more trees.
   Mayor Tom Molnar said the road "looks like Hurricane Hugo."
   "The damage is severe," said Allan Cappuccio, who lives on Alexauken Creek Road. "We’re bleeding here."
   The gathering at the township building May 23 resulted in a short reprieve, but no promises from PSE&G. The utility will halt any further cutting for only a few weeks while the township asks representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection to visit the site and discuss the issue.
   PSE&G clear-cut 2.5 miles of trees, some as large in diameter as 24 and 30 inches, according to Brian Hartel, the utility’s chief of the division of right-of-way inspection. Some trees, however, were merely "24-inch totem poles; they’ve been getting topped for the last 30 years," he said.
   All the tree cutting occurred on land or rights-of-way owned by the utility. Some clear-cutting still remains to be done, but those trees are more like saplings with 6- to 8- inch diameters, Mr. Hartel said.
   Mr. Sous appeared quietly respectful of young Andrew’s feelings. Earlier in the evening, he’d even tried to include the boy in the discussion when he patiently waited with his hand raised to ask a question while adults continued talking.
   "We’re doing it to protect you," David Richter, senior attorney with the utility’s Office of Environmental Counsel, tried to explain to the child.
   PSE&G’s representatives said the blackout in August 2003 that affected 50 million people was due to arcing from a tall tree in Ohio. They want to protect power transmissions and promote safety for residents.
   They also said proposed federal and state guidelines demand clear-cutting, not trimming, which has long been the practice. If the utility does not comply, it will face hefty fines, they said.
   The explanation of safety was repeated several times, but some residents clearly scoffed at the idea. They countered with their own concerns over the environment, aesthetics, their properties and their quality of life.
   Also of huge concern was Alexauken Creek, which is protected as a Category 1 waterway and afforded the state’s highest level of protection. The classification means the creek’s quality must be maintained and no permits issued that would change that quality.
   The township also has enacted a stream corridor ordinance that protects the creek’s buffer zone. Opponents say the trees there should never have been cut down.
   "That creek is flooding more and more," said Maryann Driver, who lives on Alexauken Creek Road.
   The DEP gave PSE&G a five-year, statewide permit to clear-cut, according to the PSE&G representatives.
   Some residents think that’s just wrong.
   "I find it hard to believe they gave them a blanket permit for the entire state," said Catherine Urbanski, a member of the township’s Environmental Commission.
   Ms. Driver pointed out the area sits in a valley.
   She told the utility’s representatives, "You’re causing 10 times, 50 times, 100 times the erosion problems" that would occur if the clear-cut area had been a flat surface."
   She was concerned, too, about pollution, flooding of the creek, possible flooding of basements and the effect on private wells.
   "These trees are actually beneficial to our environment," Mr. Cappuccio said.
   Mrs. Urbanski suggested the utility employ the best-management practices promoted by PJM Interconnection, which says would be trimming, not clear-cutting. PJM is a regional organization that coordinates the movement of electricity through all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. It originally covered only Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, thus its acronym.
   But Mr. Richter, the attorney, replied, "They don’t govern us." The state Board of Public Utilities does.