SHERBURNE – Flooding, unanswered questions, and more rain could have been stifling obstacles in the quest to vanquish the threat posed by New York Regional Interconnect Inc. However, these recently dubious themes of Chenango County have only proven the resilience in the local character, said citizens, officials and grassroots organizers at a rally against the power line over the weekend in Sherburne.
“You can’t let rain stop you,” said Sherburne resident Myrtle Crandall. “It’s a small thing compared to these lines.”
Roughly 100 people from around the county gathered in Gaines Park under a steady downpour Saturday to hear songs, speeches and support through the voice of Sherburne, speaking on this day for all the communities within the 190 miles that the transmission line would cross.
“I want to thank Mother Nature again,” said Earlville resident and STOP NYRI co-chair Eve Ann Shwartz, “for proving that nothing can stop the grassroots effort to defeat this NYRI power line.”
Albany-based NYRI announced at the end of March that it is planning to gain approval to construct a high-voltage, 1,200 megawatt direct-current transmission line from Marcy to New Windsor. The line would bisect eight counties with 115 foot tall steel towers, going through 44 miles of Chenango.
Village of Sherburne Mayor William thanked all those who have been involved in the opposition thus far to the power line he said would be “an unmitigated disaster for our village.” Acee said that sustaining the momentum against NYRI should be the public’s main focus now, urging everyone to continue to keep contact with local government officials.
“It’s a battle, It’s a full time job to fight it,” said Acee. “Don’t let off, don’t fall asleep. Don’t let up until this power line goes away and never comes back.”
Shwartz praised the tireless effort by groups such as STOP NYRI, who she believes got the ball rolling, and continued its advance, in the war against the private company, using information, studies, letters, phone calls, and applying pressure to local and state officials.
“Your voices, your thoughts, and your achievements are all we need to stop this,” said Shwartz.
She mentioned all the positive developments over the last month and half, including the formation of Communities Against Regional Interconnect, the legislation to veto NYRI’s use of eminent domain (awaiting approval from Governor George Pataki), and the support at the state and federal level that has grown as a result of public’s willingness to step-forward.
“These are amazing achievements by people who are said to live in sleepy rural communities,” she said.
Near the end of the rally, the crew of citizens and organizers marched down to the railroad tracks and raised a weather balloon 130 feet into the air to demonstrate the height of the towers as they would pass through villages.
For some citizens, the rally was a successful tool to offer more information on this ever-evolving subject.
“I read a lot about it in the papers. I came down to see what they had to say, to learn a little,” said Sherburne resident Charlie Utley. “I don’t think its a good thing, going straight through our communities.”
NYRI has admitted that the line would cost upstate $166 million dollars annually in raised rates, and that the benefits to the increased rate-payers are “intangible.”
The Albany subsidiary, whose grand-parent company is based in Toronto, is currently in the early stages of the state Public Service Commission’s Article VII review process, which will negate or give way to the power line at the state level. As part of federal legislation passed in 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy, in conjunction with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, could decide this area is a national interest electric transmission corridor, and impose “back-stop” authority to approve the project if the state denies it, or fails to make a decision by May of next year.
Citizens up and down the line have voiced concerns over the line’s possible health risks, environmental impacts, and significant, if not devastating, decreases in property values and populations in many rural communities.
Their sentiments were echoed by artist Pamme Swan in the chorus of an original song she wrote about the power line, titled “Our Sweet Hovels,” in which she sang to the crowd in Sherburne, “Please can we come together, the situation’s not so mere. Please for the sake of our countryside, and for all that we hold dear. Our small towns are in trouble. There’s a monster in our skies. Looming over our sweet hovels, and darkening our eyes.”