In a surprise 5-3 vote, Connecticut regulators rejected United Illuminating’s $300M transmission line, which would have added 195-foot steel monopoles through dense neighborhoods. (Hartford Courant)
The decision marked a major win for local residents and officials who argued the overhead line would mar historic sites and harm community aesthetics.
UI said burying the 7.3-mile line would add up to $500M to the cost—an estimate critics say is inflated—and warned that undergrounding would shift the full cost to Connecticut customers under ISO New England rules.