HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) is pressing the state Siting Council to postpone its vote on a controversial proposal by United Illuminating (UI) to construct taller utility monopoles and easements through neighborhoods in Fairfield County.
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The announcement came Tuesday at the State Capitol, where Lamont joined lawmakers and community members rallying against the project.
"I want a delay to see a better way to do this," Lamont said, according to a press release from the town of Fairfield. "We’re not going to let UI rush into a bad decision."
UI, which has argued that the project is critical to strengthening the local power grid, said it would not oppose the governor’s request for a delay.
The utility company has faced mounting bipartisan opposition from residents and elected officials in Fairfield, Bridgeport, and Southport, many of whom say the project threatens local character, disrupts private property, and could damage environmental resources.
Concerns intensified earlier this year when a Superior Court judge ruled that the Siting Council and UI had failed to follow proper procedural steps in advancing the project. Despite that ruling, the council has moved forward, leaving opponents frustrated and demanding more transparency.
"Governor Lamont has heard the voices of the people of Fairfield and Bridgeport and has offered both our municipalities and UI an opportunity to start again, this time with a plan that takes our concerns into account," said Fairfield First Selectman Christine Vitale (D). "Now I call upon UI to finally sit down with us to meaningfully evaluate alternatives that will minimize disruption to the precious resources in our community."
At the center of the debate is whether UI should bury the transmission lines instead of erecting new monopoles. While many residents favor undergrounding, the company has warned that doing so would cost an additional $500 million, a burden that would ultimately fall on Connecticut ratepayers.
UI maintains that the current plan represents the most efficient balance of reliability and cost, emphasizing the need to modernize aging infrastructure and reduce outages in a region prone to storms.
The Siting Council had been expected to hold its final vote this Thursday. However, its stance has shifted multiple times in recent months. A straw poll earlier this summer suggested rejection, but just two months later, the council voted in favor of advancing the project.
With Lamont now calling for a delay, the final decision remains uncertain.
Lamont’s intervention is viewed by opponents as a chance to reset the process and push for more collaboration between UI, municipalities, and affected residents.
State Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport) joined the rally, alongside Vitale and Lamont, signaling continued political momentum against the project in its current form.
For now, the future of Fairfield County’s monopole project hangs in the balance, as lawmakers, residents, and regulators weigh the competing pressures of grid reliability, community impact, and cost to ratepayers.
Originally reported by Molly Ingram in WSHU.
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