There is the potential for New York State to give away the fishing area at the construction docks aka Work Docks (near the Coast Guard Station) at Jones Beach to a private commercial power plant developer to be used as an "operation & management" industrial site. This means the public will be barred from entering, it will be cleared of all vegetation, and used to dispatch crews with cranes loading parts onto barges and docking of vessels with helipads. This coastal, land based site would be closed-off to the public and re-purposed for use by a private commercial developer for wind farm maintenance as a support site. NYSERDA’s 2018 report #1905 published January 2019 pages A15-A17, and NYSERDA’s 2017 report #17-25b, published December 2017, pages 95 last paragraph and 97, refer to this popular fishing area as "Optimal" for development into an O&M site. These documents can be found at
To prevent this from happening, fill out the letter below and send it to your state senator and state assemblyperson immediately, to save this fishing spot from being taken away from the public. Don’t know who your assemblyperson is? No problem – find them at: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/ and https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator.
The state also wants to make Jones Beach West End 2, a well known and extremely popular fishing and environmentally sensitive area into an "Energy Center" where LIPA, NYPA and PSEG can market direct-market to the public, changes to the park which benefit commercial energy developers but that are bad for park-goers, including routing high-voltage direct-current cables through the park via land takings.
This Energy Center project seeks to destroy the parking field and install fake dunes covered with informational sign boards and ‘Energy Exhibits.’ The true purpose of these fake dunes is to block our beautiful view of the ocean from the field, so that when the Wind farm (that is to be built off the south shore) has to undergo its ‘visual impact’ report card, the study won’t have to take these views into consideration, because they will already be destroyed a year ahead of time by the ‘Energy Center’ project. They are pretending these fake dunes are ‘restoration to vegetated area’ but the true purpose is to block our view of the ocean, to whitewash the report card the power plant gets for its effects on views.
In the process, most of the parking field will be literally destroyed. Combined with the creation of a ‘National attraction’ energy center there, the parking will be limited. They will not be dunes, but rather will be built up with informational signboards and energy exhibits. West end is not the place for this. This is a place of tranquility to connect with nature, and for people to recreate. It is not to be converted into a cheap spectacle so that people can be bussed in for energy initiative marketing.
To save your fishing spot, and nix the Energy Center, complete and send the attached letter. Send one to your Assemblyperson and one to your State Senator. Also, be sure to voice your displeasure over the location of this project Public Comment Sessions which are expected to take place in December. Your attendance is required to protect Jones Beach. For more information and how you can get involved, call 212-608-6112 Extension 0.
COPY OF LETTER
____________________________(NAME)
____________________________(ADDRESS)
____________________________
____________________________(PHONE)
Today’s Date : _________ / _____ / 2019
Dear Honorable __________________________ ,
I am writing to you to ask you to help stop the taking of our parkland in Jones Beach State Park.
Our parkland including our fishing areas should not be given to private commercial energy developers. The hard-working people of our state need a place to be close to nature and relax on the weekends. West End of Jones Beach is a special place and no part of it should be taken for an Energy Center or an Industrial Site. NYPA, LIPA, and PSEG want to use parkland to market Energy initiatives and land takings and easements through our park. Parkland is for outdoor public recreation only. It should not be turned into a permanent marketing operation for PSEG LIPA and NYPA. Changes to the park that are adverse to park-goers but that benefit private commercial developers are high-voltage cable routing through the park, taking of West End for an Energy Center. Please…
#1 Put a stop the construction of an “Energy Center” at jones beach.
The project seeks to completely obstruct our view of the ocean at Field West End 2, in order to whitewash a “visual impact” report card the Wind-turbine power plant has to undergo, by literally destroying the views ahead of time by building fake dunes to block our ocean views from the West End at Jones. VOTE NO on any parkland alienation bill that seeks to use Jones Beach Parkland for an Energy Center.
#2 Stop the taking of our fishing area within Jones Beach State Park
Our fishing area in Jones Beach State Park is NOT an optimal location for an industrial site, with cranes loading parts onto barge, dispatching of crews, helicopters and large vessels. Our state’s Energy and Research Development Authority thinks our land is up for grabs. Protect our recreational areas from land grabs by private commercial energy developers. Don’t let the state give it away
See “2018 Ports Assessment O&M” , pages A-17 to A-20 at https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Files/Programs/offshore-wind/2018-Ports-Assessment.zip?la=en and See page 95 of https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Files/Publications/Research/Biomass-Solar-Wind/Master-Plan/17-25b-Assessment-of-Ports-and-Infrastructure.pdf which says “the undeveloped land behind
Coast Guard Station Jones Beach[is] an optimal location for servicing projects developed within the ..New York OSA. “ VOTE NO on any parkland alienation bill that seeks to use Jones Beach Parkland
#3 Encourage an open discussion of the health effects of close proximity to high voltage power cables
High-voltage direct current power cables should NOT be routed underfoot through the busiest swim areas of the park without sound studies on the health effects of strong magnetic fields on children and the elderly, especially persons with pacemakers. The park is not an ideal place for high voltage cables.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/arrhythmia/prevention–treatment-of-arrhythmia/devices-that-may-interfere-with-icds-and-pacemakers
Jones Beach State Park’s west end is home to two dozen species of state-endangered and state-threatened animals, one federally-endangered, who use it as home, critical migratory stopover, or overwintering area. Jones Beach State Park’s west end contains a state-critically-imperiled ecological community and plants that are so globally extremely rare. This is not the place for an Energy Center or an Industrial Site. These projects threaten the land. Vote NO to alienating parkland for these purposes.
Thank you for helping stop this.
Sincerely,
________________________________(SIGNATURE)
_____________________________________(PRINTED NAME)
