Public Frustrations Continue as Questions About Giant Utility Poles Remain Unanswered

September 23, 2026 - Despite having eleven FirstEnergy/JCP&L representatives in attendance at the September 22, 2026 Township Committee meeting, many basic questions about the giant utility poles that appeared earlier this year along some of Holmdel’s busiest and most iconic roads remain unanswered.

JCP&L says it has worked with the Township since 2023 and notified affected residents.

State law requires utilities to notify residents within 200 feet of a utility project. If JCP&L complied, it should have a mailing list and providing that list and a copy of the notice should be straightforward.

For months, Mayor Rocco Impreveduto has promised to obtain and share the list of residents who received notices. Despite those assurances, no list has been made public. And despite the fanfare surrounding last night’s meeting, JCP&L still would not definitively say whether certified notices were sent, when they were sent, or to whom.

The public is still waiting for answers:

1. What exactly did JCP&L tell the Township in 2023?

2. Was the Township specifically informed about the height, size, and appearance of the proposed poles?

3. Once notified, did the Township ask the right questions or simply accept JCP&L’s proposal?

4. What routes were considered? Did the Township provide input? Could alternative routes have avoided some of Holmdel’s most heavily traveled and iconic roads?

5. Mayor Impreveduto has referred to several “sessions” at which the public was notified. What information was actually presented at those sessions, and when?

6. Were underground alternatives considered? Several Holmdel neighborhoods—including Falcon Ridge, Pulte’s High Gate, Regency, and the Reserve—have had underground electrical and telecommunications infrastructure installed over the past two decades. Was undergrounding considered for key sections of the proposed route, including Roberts Road, South Holland Road, and Holland Road?

7. Was a cost comparison conducted between the available alternatives? If so, where is it?

8. Could the Township have helped fund undergrounding or otherwise facilitated it?

We’ve Seen This Movie Before

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”— George Santayana

Holmdel residents have good reason to ask tough questions.

In 2016, JCP&L proposed a 10-mile, 230-kV transmission line through five municipalities, including Holmdel. JCP&L claimed the project was necessary to address a “technical” violation of reliability standards.

The response was unprecedented. Municipal governing bodies, residents, and elected officials at the county, state, and federal levels united in opposition. Holmdel Township and other municipalities hired special counsel to fight the proposal in legal proceedings. So did the grassroots group RAGE.

Through persistent discovery efforts, opponents uncovered evidence that JCP&L had drafted the proposed transmission project before it was notified of the technical reliability violation it claimed the project would address.

That raised a fundamental question: Was the transmission line really a solution to a newly identified problem or a project seeking justification?

RAGE’s expert proposed an alternative involving two trailer-sized voltage regulators and conductor upgrades on seven circuits—at roughly one-third the cost of JCP&L’s proposal and without the widespread impacts of a new transmission line.

The judge ultimately rejected JCP&L’s proposal and sharply criticized the utility’s approach. The BPU affirmed the decision.

Today, JCP&L is again under a BPU order after failing to meet required reliability metrics for four consecutive years.

That history makes it all the more important that the Township and the public demand documentation, independently evaluate alternatives, and not simply accept JCP&L’s preferred solution.

Ask the Hard Questions

Unfortunately, instead of critical thinking and pressing JCP&L for answers about the current project, the Township Committee appears to be deflecting criticism and blaming a grassroots group; even though Holmdel Township itself hired special counsel and opposed JCP&L’s 2016 project.

The lesson from 2016 should be simple:

Ask questions. Demand evidence. Examine alternatives.

The public is demanding that the Township Committee and JCP&L correct the current situation. Will they listen?

Stay tuned.