Helene's Blog

   

JUMP INTO THE NEW YEAR!

Join East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue

and

East Hampton Hurricanes Swim Team for the Annual Polar Bear Plunge

Thursday, January 1st, at Main Beach, EH Village Registration begins at 11:30 am Plunge is at 1 pm

To Benefit:  The Food Pantries of East Hampton

Each "Plunger" that registers with a minimum of $30 in donations, will receive an embroidered winter cap.

T-shirts will be available for sale. And to warm you up, hot food and refreshments will be served by the E. H. Hurricane Swim Team, E.H. Lions, and E.H. Volunteer Ocean Rescue Squad.

All tax deductible checks can be written to East Hampton Food Pantry, Inc.

PRIZES FOR BEST COSTUME!

Food and hot drinks provided by East Hampton YMCA Hurricanes Swim Team.

For more information:  Contact East Hampton Food Pantry at 631-324-2300 or www.easthamptonfoodpantry.org

  On November 4, 2014, a United Nations Committee Recommended Global Elimination of the toxic wood preservative, pentachlorophenol.

ENEWSPF wrote that "Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is widely used in the United States and elsewhere for treatment of wooden utility poles and railroad ties. Scientists cite chemical’s persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and PCP’s toxic impacts in recommending it being listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, an international treaty established to safeguard human and environmental health from highly hazardous chemicals. The committee further noted the wide availability of non-chemical alternatives much safer than PCP, which include steel, composite, and concrete poles, as well as the burying of power lines." ENEWSPF goes on to quote Pamela Miller, the executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics, and one of the expert witnesses for LIBFRE's (Long island Businesses For Responsible Energy, Inc.) lawsuit against PSEG and LIPA. Pam states that, "This is the beginning of the end of pentachlorophenol. Pentachlorophenol has global health implications since it is found in the bodies of people throughout the world including Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic. Now governments and the private sector need to get to work to finally eliminate this toxic chemical." The United States is one of only a handful of countries that has not ratified the international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2001, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants. In a shocking move this past October, as this international community of scientists met in Rome, the USA recommended that the group "do nothing" and that action on banning pentachlorophenol be tabled. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sought to oppose efforts to ban the chemical, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services included PCP in its 13th Report on Carcinogens, declaring the substance "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." At the same time the EPA is fighting the international ban on pentachlorophenol, there is growing concern in the United States over the failure of the EPA to stop the use of this toxic chemical. In New York State, Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Senator Ken LaValle have introduced bipartisan legislation to ban pentachlorophenol, that would prohibit the future use of utility poles treated with pentachlorophnol (PCP), and call for the posting of warnings to inform people about the dangers of contact with PCP on existing poles. Senator LaValle said, "This is a critical health and safety matter. People need to be made aware of the presence of PCP, so they can protect themselves, their children and their pets from the potential dangers posed by this chemical. This type of coating to preserve utility poles needs to be discontinued for public health reasons as soon as possible." Assemblyman Thiele noted, "The federal government has made it clear that PCP is a dangerous chemical and has outlawed its use by the general public. It is to be used only for industrial use away from the general population. Yet, this chemical has been used to treat utility poles for transmission lines in places like East Hampton that are only  a few feet from residential dwellings, exposing children and families to this dangerous substance. Further, at a time when we are all focused on the degradation of our water, it is inconceivable that wood treated with this substance would be permitted to leach into the goundwater on Long Island. There are better options, and those options should be implemented now." Long Island Businesses for Responsible Energy, Inc. (LIBFRE), a local East Hampton citizens' group, is continuing its litigation against PSEG/LIPA for installing 267 pentachlorophenol laden utility poles along a 6.2 mile run through residential neighborhoods. They have just filed an amended complaint and are preparing opposition papers to PSEG and LIPA's motion to dismiss. They are asking to have all the utility poles removed and the high-tension wires buried underground. The Town and Village of East Hampton are conducting water tests for pentachlorophenol adjacent to three newly installed utility poles along the 6.2 mile run, after finding PCP present in an initial water test. A soil test done in April 2014, revealed PCP levels over 300 times acceptable levels as stated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. In September, the Town of North Hempstead located in Nassau County on Long Island, passed a law requiring warning labels on utility poles treated with PCP. The mandated labeling states, "This pole contains a hazardous chemical. Avoid prolonged direct contact with this pole. Wash hands or other exposed areas thoroughly if contact is made." And in a recently released book, Poison Spring:  The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA, by E.G. Vallianatos, a long-term former employee and whistleblower, details how unsafe EPA testing is, and how corrupt many at the top of the EPA are, even while others there want to and wish to do the right thing. The EPA is an underfunded agency that is in the hands of powerful and very well funded lobbyists. It is a neutered agency that isn't doing its job. Check out the following websites for more information: Sources: IPEN, http://www.beyondpesticides.org, and http://www.LIBFRE.com    

    "When the Dalai Lama was asked what surprised him most about humanity, he answered, 'Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.'" The world feels like it's spinning out of control on a collision course towards its own demise as man continues to pollute the planet in the name of progress and financial gains. Everything I hear on the news and everything I read in the papers seems dark and hopeless. But I do believe there is hope to heal our planet from such abuse. If we'd all just stop to look around and experience the wonders of this amazingly magical place called Earth, we just might be able to shift the negative impacts we're all responsible for in some way, shape, or form. This past week, my husband and I paddled and hiked in the north country of the Adirondack wilderness. The air was crisp and the foliage was spectacular with splashes of flaming reds and brilliant oranges and yellows  interspersed between the towering green pines. Everything felt so pristine, like man hadn't fully arrived and left his toxic footprint upon the landscape. I knew, though, that that really wasn't the truth at all, because acid rain from the mid-west has damaged the forests and waters of the Adirondacks, and it isn't safe anymore to eat the mercury ladened trout. Visually, however, the air and the land felt pure and wholesome and free from the negative impacts of man and his factories.

On our eight hour journey home, we decided to take the Cross Sound Ferry from New London to Orient Point. As the sun set in the west, the sky was on fire with a deep warm red, a perfect backdrop for the lighthouse. It felt like heaven on Earth as we slipped over the surface of the water. Everything felt perfect as I drank my Octoberfest beer and ate a turkey sandwich on seeded rye with a crunchy kosher dill pickle. But that feeling soon morphed into a sense of hopelessness as we headed towards the North Ferry that would take us over to Shelter Island. I couldn't help but notice the enormous high tension lines running down both sides of the two-lane country highway. I get it. I too love when I can switch on the lights or turn on my washing machine. What I don't get, however, is how we can stand by and agree to the way we receive that electric power. We should all be saying NO to the overhead lines that are dangerous to our health and a blight to our environment. Recently, members from LIBFRE  http://www.libfre.com met with several New York State officials to discuss our concerns regarding the dangers from Pentachlorophenol ladened utility poles installed by PSEG in East Hampton. From that meeting, two courageous New York State politicians have stood up to big business and the present administration, proposing legislation to ban Pentachlorophenol's use in New York State. Kudos to Senator Kenneth LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele. Everyone of our politicians should be standing up to big business, no matter what the monetary costs are. It's time to make the commitment to eliminate the toxic chemicals that are polluting our environment so that we can reverse the health risks they cause. When you vote in November, educate yourself before you cast your vote. Remember, your vote is your voice and every vote counts. Make sure the candidates you choose are going to represent your concerns for your health and the health of our planet.              

  On Friday, September 12, 2014, Surfers Healing will be at Ditch Plains and the members of East Hampton Ocean Rescue will be there in force to volunteer their time for this amazing event. Surfers Healing is an organization that travels around the United States offering children with special needs, specifically those with autism, the opportunity to experience the wonders and magic of surfing in the ocean. Surfing is a transformative experience as the sun streams down upon the sandy beach and the wind gently blows under the deep, blue skies. Members of Surfers Healing want to "help foster the understanding and acceptance of autism. With the help of incredible volunteers and a team of the most amazing surfers in the water, Surfers Healing is making a difference in the lives of families and kids living with autism. Last year they took out over 4,500 kids. Next year they plan to take out even more." Come down to Ditch Plains and have a transformative day!

  Who is the “Hundredth Monkey?” The first edition of Ken Keyes, Jr.’s novel, The Hundredth Monkey, was published in January 1982 with 100,000 printed copies. The book wasn’t copyrighted because Ken wanted readers “to reproduce it in whole or in part, to distribute it with or without change, in as many languages as possible, to as many people as possible.” He dedicated the book to “the Dinosaurs, who mutely warn us that a species which cannot adapt to changing conditions will become extinct.” People have the power to make changes if they can join together and raise their voices as one. There's power in numbers. Our numbers can grow exponentially if we all take it upon ourselves to spread the message that we want the installed toxic pentachlorophenol ladened poles removed, the contaminated soil cleaned up, and the high-tension wires placed underground along a major corridor away from residential neighborhoods. We as a community can achieve what is just and essential to continue promoting healthy alternatives for our energy consumption. “There is a phenomenon,” Ken shared, “that may be our only hope of a future that supports and protects both the environment and our species!” The dangers inherent in the transport of electricity through above ground, high-tension wires strung from one toxic pole to another should be a concern of every resident on Long Island and around the globe. “Here is the story of the Hundredth Monkey.” The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, has been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mother, too. This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958, all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes. Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes – the exact number is not know. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let’s further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes. THEN IT HAPPENED! By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough! The most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then spontaneously jumped over the sea – Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes. Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may vary, the ‘Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon’ means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the consciousness property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness a field is strengthened so that this awareness reaches almost everyone! Thanks to the experiments of Dr. J. B. Rhine at Duke University, we now know that the strength of this extrasensory communication can be amplified to a powerfully effective level when the consciousness of the 'hundredth person' is added." This community’s voice is needed to reverse this travesty. The world is full of miracles. Any one of us could be the “hundredth person.”  Any one of us could tip the scale to check this utility company and our governmental agencies that seem to have forgotten that their jobs are to protect and serve the people and the environment. I invite you to check out LIBFRE's website at: www.libfre.com. Get educated. Get involved.  

East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue (EHVOR) is comprised of volunteer lifeguards and auxilary members, like me, who not only respond to 911 dispatched emergencies year round in East Hampton, but who have as their mission to make expedient and safe water rescues year round at all unprotected beaches by responding quickly and coordinating with East Hampton Emergency Services. EHVOR is responsible for open water education, water safety, and the supervision of permitted water events like the Main Beach Lifeguard Tournament. I have many fond memories of all the lifeguard tournaments my two sons participated in over the years when they were East Hampton Village lifeguards. EHVOR is a wonderful organization.

Join EHVOR on Thursday, July 17 for the Annual East Hampton Main Beach Tournament starting at 5:30 pm. See you there!

Saturday, July 12th - Swim Across America Benefit

Gardiner's Bay/Fresh Pond, Amagansett

7:00 am - 11:00 am, Ceremony to follow

1/2 mile, 1 mile, and 3 mile course

Proceeds to:  Fighting Chance (http://fightingchance.org/) and cancer research

Minimum fund-raising requirements:  14 and under $300, 15+ $500

  I'd like to share a speech I delivered to the LIPA Board of Trustees on May 29th, 2014. "On May 28th, 2014, Long Island Businesses For Responsible Energy, Inc., LIBFRE,  filed a complaint with the New York State Supreme Court in Riverhead, regarding the installation of your 6.2 mile overhead high-transmission line from East Hampton to Amagansett. The toxic poles, ladened with Pentachorophenol, have caused serious injury and will continue to cause serious injury to Plaintiffs and members of the class they represent in the following manner: 1) The poles have been treated with a wood preservative that contains pentacholorophenol (otherwise known as penta or PCP). We’ve been informed that these poles were not properly cured and rushed to be installed along the chosen route, in some places less than 25 feet from people’s homes. The rush is due to what I believe to be a misrepresentation of the reliability need. During the late 1980’s, we were told the same thing with regards to the need for the now defunct Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.) 2) PCP and crude oil is leaching from these poles into the soil and groundwater. It is a dangerous poison, outlawed in 26 countries, that causes serious injury to humans if its fumes are inhaled, or it is ingested or touched. Our properties have been contaminated. 3) The power transmission and distribution lines to be operated will produce, transmit, and maintain unreasonable, harmful, and dangerous electromagnetic fields that are dangerous to the health of humans. 4) The new poles and lines have damaged the vegetation, natural quality, and scenic beauty of our area. This project has butchered our trees and damaged areas of local scenic significant vistas. East Hampton has been recognized as an area of unusual beauty and natural resources. The Nature Conservancy has designated the area as one of the “Last Great Places” in the Western Hemisphere. 4) The newly installed poles have significantly devalued the properties they run along. These properties are now perceived by prospective buyers, rightfully so, as being dangerous to the health of residents. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stated at a meeting I attended last Tuesday evening at Suffolk Community College at the Brentwood campus, that, “There is one set of rules for everyone. People are entitled to be safe in their homes, in their schools, and in their communities.” Governor Cuomo is perhaps not aware, that he is responsible for creating the long term LIPA agreement with PSEG-LI, LLC, a subsidiary, whose members are unknown, of a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc, a New Jersey holding company. He has transferred to this parent holding company, control of all energy decisions on Long Island, has created a lucrative deal with PSEG that has no oversight, no citizen participation, and no respect for the health and safety of the residents of Long Island. This deal will leak the yearly net profits of the subsidiary, and billions of dollars out of Long Island’s economy. Everybody, including PSEG, agrees that the poles and overhead lines can and should be removed and buried, without impairing the power supply of the East End. The issue remains as to who shall pay the cost. I urge this LIPA board to join in such agreement to bury the lines, and to assure us that the cost will be allocated fairly between the ratepayers and the stockholders of the New Jersey parent holding company of its subsidiary PSEG-LI. I wonder if the members of the LIPA Board of Trustees want as their legacy and the legacy of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to be remembered and cursed for your participation in this travesty? Both the LIPA Board members and the Governor do have the power to make this right by halting this project, pulling the poles, and burying the lines underground along a direct major corridor away from residential areas." Pamela Miller, a member of the research committee for the Stockholm Convention, and the founder of the citizen's group, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT), has invited myself and my Co-Chair, Rebecca Singer, to speak at the UN. The Stockholm Convention started with the banning of 12 substances. Later, the European Union nominated the addition of Pentachorophenol to the ban. They have a very intense review process. The POP's (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Review Committee did a lot of research and found penta in breast milk, in water, and in the Artic. They found penta to have effects on the endocrine system, blood serum, and wildlife. In October 2013, they determined that penta was a global contaminant and should be subject to global elimination. The United States and Canada have been the biggest fighters of the ban because of the wood preservative groups. It's all about money and power. Our website has launched, http://www.libfre.com.  Check us out. Read what we are doing. Read what our experts say. Sign our petition at: http://www.change.org/petitions/gov-andrew-cuomo-ban-overhead-utility-poles-ban-penta. Our petition calls for the banning of pentachlorophenol (penta or PCP) use on utility poles. Penta is a toxic substance that leaches form PSEG's utility poles into our soil and groundwater. Our expert hydrogeologist found 300 times the acceptable level of penta in the soil 6" from the base of the poles. In addition, we are fighting to remove the 61' high-tension voltage utility poles from in front of our homes, and bury the lines underground along a direct major corridor away from residential areas. We just launched Go Fund Me on our website: http://gofundme.com/libfre.  Help us in this David and Goliath battle against PSEG/LIPA. And finally, check out our Facebook page and like us: http://facebook.com/libfreinc. When will our leaders wake up and stop working with big business at the expense of the health and safety of the people and the environment of the world?      

EHVOR's Junior Ocean Lifeguard Program 2014 is for kids from ages 9-14. This program is taught by EHVOR members and certified ocean lifeguards and is designed to teach basic ocean safety and lifeguarding skills.

Join us on Saturday & Sunday, August 2 & 3 for the Annual EH Junior Lifeguard Tournament at Indian Well, 9am. See you there!

  Yes, my wonderful and talented editor, Nancy Butts, has given me the thumbs up! After a long year of many grueling rewrites, I have finally finished my second YA novel, Stoked - 1969, and have sent it off to traditional publishing houses for their consideration. Two years ago, while teaching my grandson how to read, he suggested I write a story about our year-long journey together.  The result of his request is my story about Jake Edwards. The year is 1969 and thirteen-year-old Jake is more worried about the war going on in his family than he is about the one in Vietnam. His parents and his Grandma Rose haven’t spoken since his older brother, Aaron, has enlisted in the Army. And furious with his principal and teachers for not teaching Jake to read, his mother has just yanked him out of school – without telling him first. As the summer ends, Jake desperately wants Aaron to come home from the war, safe and in one piece. Just as desperately, Jake wants to be like everyone else – to be able to read. Jake is forced to leave everything he knows to go and live with his wacko, hippie grandma. What were his parents thinking when they agreed to let Rose take over his education? Jake is sentenced to live among rebels – hippies who believe that the war is wrong. How will he ever fit into a group of tight-knit peaceniks? He needs a plan – relax and go with the flow, not an easy thing for a kid with dyslexia. Jake wonders if he’ll ever learn to read. His grandma thinks so, but he has his doubts. And then there’s Oliver, the long-haired creep who likes Hetty, the most beautiful girl Jake’s ever met. Anything this girl says sounds like music to his ears. But the evening news brings Jake right back down to planet Earth, right back to the horrors of the Vietnam War. He finds himself at a fork in the road. Jake needs to make a decision – to participate in the non-violent civil disobedience rallies his Grandma Rose is organizing or not. He decides to participate, realizing that protesting doesn’t mean he’s a traitor to his country. But the Vietnam Moratorium in Boston turns into a trap as Jake and his grandmother and the students in Rose’s class are corralled in Harvard Square and tear gassed by the National Guardsmen. This is a turning point for Jake. Weren’t the police and National Guardsmen supposed to serve and protect? Nothing made any sense anymore. Then when the horrific My Lai massacre is exposed in the press, Jake loses even more faith in the government and in the president. He has a falling-out with Hetty when she says that all American soldiers have gone berserk. Jake insists that his brother would never do anything like the soldiers in Charley Company had done – or would he? To make matters worse, Jake and Oliver are confronted by teenage bullies from the town of Peaceable who accuse them of being anti-American Communists. This is a turning point in their friendship. When he finally gets back to Rose’s cabin, he learns that Aaron is missing-in-action. Jake is now clear that he wants the war to end. He wants his brother to come home. “It sure was hard being a kid who stood up for what he believed in.” As the school year draws to an end, Jake realizes he had the intelligence to read all along; he just needed to be taught the right way. His hard work, perseverance, and patience took care of the rest. Rose helps him discover that he is fine the way he is. Different is good. “I wasn’t disabled or broke; I didn’t need to be fixed. I was a writer now, the author of my own life. What I’d say, and how I’d be, was solely and completely, up to me.” Jake's story is just waiting for the right publisher to represent it. I look forward to the publication of Stoked - 1969, and to hearing from all my fans.

Yesterday, Long Island Businesses For Responsible Energy, Inc. (LIBFRE) received a final report from our expert hydrogeologist witness who examined the soil around the utility poles used by PSEG-LI to string overhead high-tension lines along the 6.2 mile transmission line running from East Hampton to Amagansett. The report has confirmed our worst fears. Irving Like, our legal counsel, stated, "It's akin to the canary in the coal mine - warning us of danger." Peter Dermody, a geologist and environmental scientist with Dermody Consulting, sampled soil and gas-off vapors from three different poles along the 6.2 mile route. "The results indicate that significantly elevated concentrations of penta were detected in the soil at both shallow and deep location at two of the three poles. The use of penta has been banned in 26 countries. It was widely used in the United States until it was banned for public use by the EPA in 1987. Its use in the United States is now limited to wood preservation of utility poles and utility ties. The presence of penta on the poles and in the soil in the vicinity of the poles appears to represent a significant risk to human health and the environment." Why would the EPA allow Pentacholophenol to be used on poles less that 25 feet from people's homes? Who is responsible for oversight with regards to the electric upgrade on Long Island? Where is Governor Cuomo? Shame on him!  He has failed to serve and protect  the people of Long Island and of this great state of New York and should therefore be removed from office.  If he has his way, New York State will have NO CLEAN WATER to drink. Between the fracking he is considering and the hiring of PSEG-LI, he's sold us out. Based on his findings, Peter suggests that the following steps be taken to protect human health and the environment: ". An attorney should be provided with this report to determine if the release of penta to the subsurface represents a reportable contaminant release to the NYSDEC as per 6 NYCRR 613.8. . The saturated and other highly stained soil around the poles should be removed as soon as possible to attempt to reduce the potential for exposure and groundwater contamination. . Residences in the area hydraulically downgradient of these new poles should be evaluated to determine if these homes use private drinking water wells. Private well users risk ingestion of penta through contaminated groundwater. Residents in these areas should be advised to have frequent water sample analyses and may wish to consider drinking bottled water until it can be demonstrated that penta is not, and cannot reasonably be expected to impact their drinking water. The EPA drinking water standard for penta is 1 part per billion. . Since this recently-applied and extremely toxic chemical coats the surface of the poles and can easily be transferred to the skin through dermal contact, safety fencing should be installed around the poles to prevent incidental contact with the poles by children or to other persons, pets, and wildlife. In addition, placards should be placed on each new pole to warn residents not to touch or otherwise make contact with the pole or the soil in its vicinity. . Residents in the area should be notified of the potential hazard associated with the new poles and they should be instructed to avoid the poles so that they do not inhale or ingest penta (penta can be ingested by dermal contact with the pole or contaminated soil, and then transferred by touching the eyes, nose, or mouth)." The picture below was taken by my son, Michael. This particular pole is located on Town Lane in Amagansett - a road that is officially considered a significant scenic vista. The brown substance at the bottom of the pole is the chemical Pentacholophenol that has leeched out during wet events. A member of LIBFRE approached a PSEG-LI worker and asked if he knew what kind of chemical he was working with. The worker had no gloves on and no mask to cover his nose and mouth. When she showed him Peter's report he freaked, stopped  working, and contacted his union.  Why were these workers not informed of the hazardous chemicals they were being exposed to? It's time this country put its foot down and say NO to big business. It's time for the people to revolt and demand that the government hold these big companies accountable for the damaging effects to our health, safety, devaluation of property values, contamination of our environment, soil, and groundwater. These poles are a travesty that has negatively effected our beauty, historical, and scenic vistas. As Bob Marley wrote, "It's time to get up, stand up, stand up for our rights; get up, stand up, don't give up the fight!"      

 PSEGLI has stormed East Hampton town, raping and pillaging the very essence  of its soul. It is destroying the beauty and esthetics of one of the most beautiful villages in all of the United States. Our Main Beach was rated number one in the country last year.

In the village of East Hampton, the 6-mile high-tension line is being strung down quaint, tiny village streets less than 25 feet from children's bedrooms. These 61 foot toxic poles continue down East Hampton town roads passed historic sites and scenic vistas.

PSEGLI has created a strategy that is pitting ratepayer against ratepayer. This shouldn't be about ratepayers fighting each other.

I believe that the issue is the following: PSEG has created a lucrative deal with LIPA and our Governor. The utility is a subsidiary of a NJ subsidiary that is a subsidiary of the parent holding company, the Public Service Electric Group Company that is located in NJ. When Governor Cuomo gave them a long term agreement, 12 years if I'm not mistaken, he gave them the authority to invest their capital on Long Island and in turn he provided them with the opportunity to realize a return on their investments. What happens to those profits? My position is that the entire burden to shoulder the costs of this project should be paid for by the stockholders of PSEG, not the ratepayers.

I further believe that PSEG has fabricated the idea that we are in need of additional energy to get us through the summer of 2014. It should be noted that we had no brown-outs during the summer of 2013.

PESG wants the ratepayers to bury the lines once they've completed the project. This will increase their profits once again. After they've damaged our environment, depreciated our property values, butchered and killed our trees, damaged our esthetics, polluted our groundwater and soil, and exposed us to numerous health risks associated with high-tension wires, their profits will go back to NJ - an economic leak for Long Island's economy.

Let the stockholders shoulder the burden of these costs.

Helene Forst, Chair

Long Island Businesses For Responsible Energy, Inc. (LIBFRE)