A new transmission line between Pennsylvania and New Jersey is on the fast track and it?s the electricity consumers who will benefit.  The Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line will span 145 miles and double the current line?s capacity from 230 kilovolts to 500 kilovolts.

The utilities involved, Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) and New Jersey?s Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), claim the line will relieve congestion in New Jersey. Congestion occurs when there are not enough lines to deliver the cheap power to areas where the electricity demand is high. This forces more expensive local electricity to meet the demand and customers end up paying higher rates.

In addition to lowering electric rates in New Jersey, the Susquehanna-Roseland line will improve the reliability of the grid. Reliability means fewer opportunities for brown outs as electricity use continues to surge. Reliability is something we take for granted today, but it is serious concerns as electricity usage continues to increase while many power plants near retirement and others may be forced into early retirement to comply with new EPA regulations. Transmission projects like the Susquehanna-Roseland line are critical to ensuring low-cost power in the future.

President Obama has designated the line as one of seven transmission projects that will receive special assistance from the ?Rapid Response Team for Transmission.? The special designation is designed to expedite the permit process that can take years or even a decade to complete. The construction of the new line is expected to create 2,000 construction jobs and is the only project with a special federal designation in the heavily populated northeast.

Of the many state and federal agencies required to sign-off on the construction, only the National Park Service has not approved the Susquehanna-Roseland line. The line crosses about four miles of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River. The park service is expected to release a draft impact study this fall and give a final decision next fall.

Environmental groups are against the new transmission line, voicing concerns about land disturbance and aesthetics. For example, the new transmission towers will rise from the current 56-80 feet to 165-190 feet tall.

The reason for the current path through the park service lands, according to the utilities, is that the companies already have the right away as the existing line was in place before the area was designated public land. Currently, the only additional right-of-way needed on any park service lands is an additional 50 feet of right-of-way that PPL has requested on a 0.8 mile segment in Pennsylvania.

Yet, environmental groups respond that renewable energy could replace the needed additional capacity. In contrast, the regional transmission organization (PJM) maintains that the project is essential to reliability in the future.

PPL and PSEG hope to have the line in service by 2015.