CHENANGO COUNTY – The New York Regional Interconnect power line is very much alive and – depending on who you ask – well. According to the local opposition leaders, it’s important that the public knows that.
“This project is not dead,” said Village of Sherburne Mayor Bill Acee.
Although the <a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> proposal has yet to officially enter the state’s power line review proceedings, recent mediation talks between the Albany energy developer and several of the issue’s active players are a sign NYRI’s bid is serious, said Attorney Dan Duthie, an energy lawyer retained by Sherburne.
“This project is going forward,” Duthie said. “They’re not going away.”
In July the Public Service Commission – the state’s power line authority – turned NYRI’s initial proposal away, citing deficiencies in the company’s Article VII citing application. NYRI representatives say the filing should be completed by June, over one year after its original submission.
“This is when the heavy lifting occurs,” the attorney said, arguing that increased involvement and funding from the quiet municipalities will be necessary in what he said should be a larger, more synchronized effort. “We have got to get it to the next level – it’s more than just a show of concern. Now we really have to do some work.”
<a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> is proposing to construct a 190-mile-long high voltage transmission line from Oneida to Orange county. The line would transport “surplus” electricity from upstate to downstate in an effort to relieve energy constraints and provide affordable power to southern New York state.
“We only ask that the state regulatory authorities and New York State citizens know the facts and will judge us on the facts,” said NYRI project manager Bill May. “No infrastructure project designed to address a problem of the magnitude we face can be completely risk-free, but the risks of not investing in our state’s electrical infrastructure are far more serious.”
