Friday, November 13, 2026
The people of Sea Cliff and the communities surrounding Hempstead Harbor know what is at stake in the Propel Transco transmission line proceeding. We’ve seen firsthand what happens when environmental resources are treated as expendable, and we have spent decades repairing the damage.
Hempstead Harbor was once a symbol of environmental decline. Years of pollution and neglect left it severely impaired. Its recovery didn’t happen by chance. It was earned through decades of relentless advocacy by residents, local governments, the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, scientists and environmental organizations. Together they transformed a degraded waterway into one of Long Island’s great environmental success stories.
That’s why the Village of Sea Cliff strongly opposes the Propel NY Energy project as currently designed.
The proposal seeks approval for just under 90 miles of underground transmission lines, including segments that would affect the Hempstead Harbor area. Yet despite the extraordinary value and sensitivity of this resource, the applicants have failed to demonstrate that adequate protections are in place to prevent damage to the harbor during construction and operation. Assurances are not enough. Promises are not enough. When a project threatens a resource that took generations to restore, the public deserves certainty, not speculation.
The applicants chose this route. They elected to bring their project through Hempstead Harbor, a public waterway that has supported generations of residents, fishermen, boaters, waterfront businesses and surrounding communities. For generations, those communities and their municipal governments have served as stewards of the harbor, working to protect its waters, restore its ecological health and preserve its established uses. The applicants’ decision to choose this route doesn’t give them the right to diminish those resources, restrict lawful activities or expect the people who have cared for the harbor to accommodate their preferred construction methods, schedules or operational limitations.
The burden is on the applicants to show how they will protect the harbor and its established uses. Instead, the process has too often seemed to work in reverse. Critical questions raised by municipalities, environmental organizations and residents are met with requests for more evidence, while the applicants’ claims are regularly gived the benefit of the doubt.
Indeed, the Public Service Commission process increasingly appears weighted in favor of the applicants and against meaningful public participation. More than 90 parties have stepped forward in opposition or raised substantial concerns about the project. The state’s handling of water quality review is further evidence of apparent behind-closed-doors dealings.
On Oct. 2, the Department of Public Service issued a water quality certification before the application had even been filed on the public docket. The department rescinded that certification on Oct. 19. With a new application before the state, communities deserve enough time to examine the supporting studies, identify gaps and have their concerns addressed before a decision is made.
These are some of the reasons that there’s a growing perception that Propel Transco receives every favorable inference while communities fighting to protect their environment face an uphill battle simply to have their concerns fully considered. That perception undermines public confidence in the fairness of the process.
This isn’t a debate about whether energy infrastructure is necessary. It’s about whether New York is willing to gamble with one of Long Island’s most hard-won environmental victories.
Sea Cliff’s position is simple: No project should move forward unless and until it can conclusively demonstrate that Hempstead Harbor will be fully protected. The harbor was rescued through decades of sacrifice and commitment. We can’t allow those achievements to be put at risk by a project that has yet to prove it can protect what our communities worked so hard to restore.
Elena Villafane is the mayor of Sea Cliff.
