NORWICH – With elections behind them, some constituents are waiting to see if the true colors of area politicians still include a flashing red, calling for the <a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> power line project to be halted and curbed.
“I will continue to fight this as hard as I did before the election,” said state Senator Tom Libous (R-Binghamton). “My 18-year record as a state Senator has proven that when I commit to something, my commitment and my word is good.”
Libous, along with state Senator Jim Seward (R-Milford) and Assemblyman Cliff Crouch (R-Guilford) say they have a plan and will not falter in the fight against Albany-based New York Regional Interconnect Inc., and its proposed 200-mile long direct current power line which would run from Oneida to Orange County. So far, the representatives have been able to secure $1 million in funding to the fight the project, create a law that blocks NYRI’s use of eminent domain, help found the Communities Against Regional Interconnect and hold two senate hearings questioning officials from the power line company.
“There is no question we need to remain vigilant,” said Seward. “There is still a lot more that has to be done.”
All three said that garnering support from the state’s federal elected representatives, such as congressional newcomer Michael Arcuri (D-Utica), will be a key component to fight – if <a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> fixes its currently deficient Article VII application and moves the review process forward – which has been at a standstill since July.
“We will do everything we can to keep FERC from jamming it down their throats,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), during a recent visit to Chenango County. When asked what he and his colleagues on the federal level would do about similar projects that could arise in the future, Schumer responded, “The same.”
Libous, Seward, and Crouch also agreed that changes in energy policy and procedure may also have to be focal points of the upcoming legislative session.
“We need to re-establish a state energy plan and policy,” Seward said, explaining that such planning has gone by the way-side in the past few years. “We have a vacuum that a company like NYRI is trying to take advantage of.”
Since utility deregulation, private companies such as <a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> have been encouraged to invest in the state’s energy infrastructure. However, controversy over the power line’s necessity, NYRI’s corporate identity, its motives, credibility, and financial standing have caused citizens, business leaders and politicians along the route to question the current energy initiative and the laws that guide it. Concerns over the line’s possible health risks, its hand in decreasing property values, and the company’s ability to take homes and land using eminent domain have fueled to the intense opposition.
