NORWICH – Some politicians are hoping that citizens further up the line will create more energy against New York Regional Interconnect Inc. tonight, thus proving the grassroots grid of communities is already reliable, and powerful.

For the second time in a just over a month, the state Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee will be holding a hearing regarding NYRI’s power line project. The hearing, sponsored by Senators James Seward (R-Milford), Raymond Meier (R-Western) and energy committee Chair James Wright (R-Watertown), is taking place at 6 p.m. tonight at New Hartford High School, 45 miles north of its June 15 predecessor in Norwich.

“I would like to see this second hearing build on the momentum I think was developed at the first public hearing in Norwich,” Senator Seward said.

At the first forum, <a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> officials supplied minimal answers to a barrage of questions and allegations aimed at discovering the group’s corporate structure and unraveling the validity of its project.

“I’d like to further explore the fact that NYRI as a transmission company has not investigated other alternatives to meet the energy needs downstate,” Seward said. “They only want this power line in this corridor, that’s it.”

NYRI spokesman Jonathan Pierce confirmed that representatives from the private transmission subsidiary would be on hand again tonight.

“We’re going to continue to put the pressure on them,” said Senator Thomas Libous (R-Binghamton), who could not attend tonight’s hearing because of ongoing commitments to resolve the recent flood damage in his district. “Our main goal is to kill this project – we are not going to forget about this power line.”