NORWICH – A spokesperson for New York Regional Interconnect, Inc. said the eminent domain bill that, after nearly two months, finally made its way a week ago from the state’s legislature to the governor’s desk, is based “on a very bad premise.”

The bill would prohibit privately-held power line companies from using eminent domain to take people’s property.

“We think the starting place that NYRI will not be a beneficial project is wrong. The framers of that legislation did not look at the benefits of this project to everybody in New York,” Jonathan M. Pierce said.

The subsidiary of Toronto-based Colmac Power has proposed erecting an 11-story high electrical power transmission line that would cut through 190 miles of the state from Utica to New Windsor, passing through 44 miles and six townships in Chenango County. It presented an application to the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) in June that was later rejected because of insufficient information. Since then, subsequent waiver requests from NYRI have also been denied. Its fate currently rests on the Governor’s desk and with the U.S. Department of Energy, which is considering designating southern New York state and New York City as a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor.

With the new power line, Pierce said upstate New York would benefit from having “a more reliable transmission network;” “significantly cleaner generation” of electricity; “thousands of dollars in taxes;” and “millions of dollars in benefits” to the communities where the line travels.

“Making the power market more robust and more diverse is good for all New Yorkers,” he said.

In past interviews with this paper, however, NYRI officials have admitted that their line would raise energy rates in upstate, perhaps by as much as $166 million annually. In addition, the PSC found insufficient evidence to back up the company’s claim that the power line would make the grid more reliable.

The eminent domain bill’s co-sponsor, state Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, said he is “adamantly opposed” to NYRI’s proposal and “will do everything I can to kill it.”

“It does nothing for upstate New York but create health and environmental hazards. It has been pretty clear to me that this is a group of greedy investors who are looking to make personal wealth,” he said.