NORWICH – Town of Smyrna Supervisor James Bays said he is “disturbed” and “baffled” with the reticence of New York state’s statutory parties to the Public Service Commission when it comes to the siting of New York Regional Interconnect’s power line.
“I would appreciate some public light on this. The citizens of the state of New York should be looking at these agencies to lobby and comment on the power line,” he said.
Bays spoke to town leaders during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors Monday. The board formally authorized an agreement with Communities Against the Regional Interconnect (CARI) to oppose NYRI’s Article VII application to the Public Service Commission.
Agencies that are statutory parties to all Public Service Commission proceedings include New York State Agriculture and Markets, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Empire State Development and the Department of Transportation, among others. Board Chairman Richard B. Decker said such parties will become involved “when or if” (NYRI’s application) is accepted for review by the PSC.
“We should expect farmers and businessmen to advocate for us in fighting the line now,” Bays said. “I haven’t seen where they’ve come out with statements ... It just seems that we are letting them off the hook.”
Bays was joined by a small group of other town leaders after Monday’s meeting who expressed their concern about the status of the 200-mile long high voltage electricity line that would run through Chenango County on its pathway from Marcy to New Windsor. “You’ve got to raise some doubt now (with the PSC). There’s no reason why they can’t come out in opposition,” New Berlin Supervisor Ross P. Iannello, politically unaffiliated, said. “The problem is the PSC doesn’t know where they are after deregulation.”
NYRI is the first private company to propose developing a power line since President Bush and the Federal Energy Commission changed course last year.
“The other problem is that you’ve got a whole bunch of new guys in there,” Town of Preston Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan said, referring to the election last week. “It’s a change of administration. Who knows who’s going to be following this for us? It’s sad to say, but we are ruled by regulation much more than by legislation.”
Bays said he spent several months back in 1978 as an administrative assistant for Agriculture & Markets researching the impact on agriculture of the Marcy power line project. His agency was successful in assuring minimal impact of the line by citing it near existing towers and hedgerows.