Fairfield County Lawmakers Make Final Push to Block UI Power Line Project

Connecticut lawmakers from Fairfield County launched a last-ditch effort Monday to stop United Illuminating’s controversial power line construction project, asking the state Siting Council to throw out the utility’s application and restart the approval process.

The group of elected officials, including State Representative Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield), State Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), and Fairfield First Selectwoman Christine Vitale, gathered at the Pequot Library to voice their opposition to UI’s plan to install taller monopoles and acquire property easements in Fairfield, Bridgeport, and Southport.

The dispute stems from a years-long utility upgrade project along the Connecticut coast that has sparked fierce community opposition. Residents and officials successfully challenged the project in court, arguing they weren’t properly consulted about the construction, according to the source material.

The controversy intensified last week when the Siting Council reversed its earlier informal rejection of the project and signaled approval. Leeper expressed bewilderment at the council’s change of direction.

“There has been no new information, no new finding of facts, and yet two commissioners flipped their vote,” Leeper said. “So of course, it leaves us with a lot of suspicion on sort of the pressure campaign UI has taken under to get that result.”

The lawmakers emphasized their opposition centers on property rights concerns rather than simple resistance to development. Stephen Ozyck, who founded the Sasco Creek Neighbors Environmental Trust with his wife Andrea to oppose the construction, highlighted UI’s foreign ownership.

“American property and property rights, the properties of our churches, the property of our libraries, the property of our municipalities, get given to a foreign-owned entity, and we are made to pay for that,” Ozyck said. “We, the ratepayers, are made to pay for that. That is unconscionable and should be stopped.”

Ozyck referenced UI’s ownership by Iberdrola, a Spanish-based company, according to the source material.

Rather than outright project rejection, the officials called for a complete restart of the approval process. Hwang advocated for creating a new docket that would provide proper public input opportunities.

“We’re not saying no to the project,” Hwang said. “We’re saying create a new docket, create a process in which all the people have an opportunity to voice their concerns and have a day in a non-partisan, objective, and transparent process.”

The timing of their request carries strategic importance, as newly-filed dockets now face more stringent requirements under recent legislation. The law, championed by area officials and advocates following this controversy, aims to improve public notice of construction projects, increase fiscal analysis during proposal reviews, and allow municipalities to recover legal fees if they successfully appeal council decisions.

UI maintains the construction is necessary for power system upgrades and has already completed the first three phases of the project, according to company statements. Following the Siting Council’s decision last Thursday, UI spokesperson Sarah Wall Fliotsos defended the project.

“Over two years ago, UI submitted our application for this project with the same design criteria as the first four phases across seven municipalities, all of which were approved,” Wall Fliotsos said. “That is because our proposed overhead design best achieves all the necessary objectives: protecting the environment and reining in costs that are borne by all Connecticut customers, while ensuring UI can serve the present and future electric capacity needed for the New England region and the customers we have proudly served for more than 125 years.”

The Siting Council is expected to issue its final decision on September 18, according to the source material.