Equitable

In the wake of 2013’s Super Storm Sandy PSE&G needed to relocate a switching station from a flood plain to higher ground near electric load in the area of Newark, New Jersey. It chose Newark’s Fairmount Heights neighborhood.

However, the Fairmount Heights neighborhood had recently completed a community development plan, and nowhere in the plan was there a switching station. Community members and leaders had other plans for the parcel chosen by PSE&G and vehemently opposed the station. Despite their opposition it seemed increasingly likely that the switching station would be built. Additionally, it appeared that the community would have no meaningful input into the project and its potential community impact. The Urban League of Essex County, New Jersey which was leading the opposition reached out to Deidre for advice on how to talk to PSE&G and the public service commission about the switching station.

Deidre helped Urban League leadership understand the process and how to open a productive dialog with PSE&G. The engagement moved from adversarial to collaborative and as a result the switching station was redesigned, had a smaller footprint to accommodate the community plan, and project proponents made direct investments into the Fairmount Heights community that helped fund its redevelopment.