Protesters call on Washington, Spitzer to reconsider corridor
NEW YORK CITY – With their calls also directed toward Albany, a group of area residents are in New York City today protesting the New York Regional Interconnect power line and a federal law that would give an added boost to the $1.6 billion project.
“Our plan is to make a fuss,” said Earlville resident Eve Ann Shwartz. “We hope to bring the message from the citizens of upstate New York that this is not an appropriate exercise of the federal government’s power.”
Over two dozen members of Stop NYRI, a citizens group representing Chenango and Madison counties, are meeting with two other anti-power line groups to demonstrate outside a U.S. Department of Energy hearing in Manhattan. The hearing is addressing the department’s controversial draft designation of 47 counties in New York state as part of a massive National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. Power line projects within the corridor – which includes NYRI’s – could be pushed through by the federal government even if they are denied at the state level.
“We are turning our sites on Gov. Spitzer and Attorney General (Andrew) Cuomo. They need to step up to the plate,” said Shwartz, the co-chair of Stop NYRI. “I can’t believe they’d let the federal government take over this (power line) decision making.”
The federal government, guided by the 2005 Energy Policy Act, can override New York state authority in power line siting if a proposal has been under review for longer than a year, if it has been approved with unfair conditions, or even if it has been denied by the state Public Service Commission. NYRI’s project has not began an official review.
Shwartz, who has been allowed two minutes of testimony at the hearing, contends that both the size of the corridor and NYRI’s project are overkill solutions to metropolitan New York’s energy problems, which could be solved through conservation efforts, existing electricity grid upgrades and less intrusive transmission projects.
NYRI, owned by Canadian energy developers, is proposing to build a 190-mile-long, 1,200 megawatt transmission line from Oneida to Orange County. The company claims it will lower energy prices downstate and increase overall electricity grid reliability.
New York City economic development officials submitted comments to the DOE in March 2006 stating that an NIETC from New Jersey to New York City – part of what’s known as the “PJM” corridor – could best foster the upgrades needed to meet the city’s expected energy demands. The comments did not call for nearly all of upstate to be included.
“What NYRI opponents ought to be doing is trying to convince the DOE to scale back its NIETC designation in New York state to cover only a corridor running from PJM’s territory in New Jersey to metropolitan New York,” said Attorney David Smith, a member of the NYRI opposition in Sullivan County. “Therefore, NYRI would have to win or lose at the state Public Service Commission, without getting a second bite at the apple.”
New York City stated that, “the department (of Energy) should specifically add the New Jersey to New York City transmission corridor to the inventory of presumptive NIETC designations,” adding that such a move would increase reliability in both regions, heighten national and regional security, and increase economic benefits in both areas.
Two underwater power lines are currently in the works from running from New Jersey and Long Island to New York City. Two other large power line projects in the PJM grid territory that would end in New Jersey are also being planned.
Today’s New York City meeting is one of two scheduled in New York state. The other will be in Rochester in the coming weeks. Neither meeting is within 140 miles of NYRI’s proposed route, where local representatives and residents say the NIETC’s would currently have the most impact.
“Like many local residents, I was insulted and outraged that the DOE would hold a hearing on proposed power lines that would run right through our backyards at locations over a hundred miles from our homes,” said 24th District Congressman Michael Arcuri (D-Utica).
In response, Arcuri will be holding a public meeting on the NIETC designations in Norwich from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at the city firehouse.
“Our plan is to make a fuss,” said Earlville resident Eve Ann Shwartz. “We hope to bring the message from the citizens of upstate New York that this is not an appropriate exercise of the federal government’s power.”
Over two dozen members of Stop NYRI, a citizens group representing Chenango and Madison counties, are meeting with two other anti-power line groups to demonstrate outside a U.S. Department of Energy hearing in Manhattan. The hearing is addressing the department’s controversial draft designation of 47 counties in New York state as part of a massive National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor. Power line projects within the corridor – which includes NYRI’s – could be pushed through by the federal government even if they are denied at the state level.
“We are turning our sites on Gov. Spitzer and Attorney General (Andrew) Cuomo. They need to step up to the plate,” said Shwartz, the co-chair of Stop NYRI. “I can’t believe they’d let the federal government take over this (power line) decision making.”
The federal government, guided by the 2005 Energy Policy Act, can override New York state authority in power line siting if a proposal has been under review for longer than a year, if it has been approved with unfair conditions, or even if it has been denied by the state Public Service Commission. NYRI’s project has not began an official review.
Shwartz, who has been allowed two minutes of testimony at the hearing, contends that both the size of the corridor and NYRI’s project are overkill solutions to metropolitan New York’s energy problems, which could be solved through conservation efforts, existing electricity grid upgrades and less intrusive transmission projects.
NYRI, owned by Canadian energy developers, is proposing to build a 190-mile-long, 1,200 megawatt transmission line from Oneida to Orange County. The company claims it will lower energy prices downstate and increase overall electricity grid reliability.
New York City economic development officials submitted comments to the DOE in March 2006 stating that an NIETC from New Jersey to New York City – part of what’s known as the “PJM” corridor – could best foster the upgrades needed to meet the city’s expected energy demands. The comments did not call for nearly all of upstate to be included.
“What NYRI opponents ought to be doing is trying to convince the DOE to scale back its NIETC designation in New York state to cover only a corridor running from PJM’s territory in New Jersey to metropolitan New York,” said Attorney David Smith, a member of the NYRI opposition in Sullivan County. “Therefore, NYRI would have to win or lose at the state Public Service Commission, without getting a second bite at the apple.”
New York City stated that, “the department (of Energy) should specifically add the New Jersey to New York City transmission corridor to the inventory of presumptive NIETC designations,” adding that such a move would increase reliability in both regions, heighten national and regional security, and increase economic benefits in both areas.
Two underwater power lines are currently in the works from running from New Jersey and Long Island to New York City. Two other large power line projects in the PJM grid territory that would end in New Jersey are also being planned.
Today’s New York City meeting is one of two scheduled in New York state. The other will be in Rochester in the coming weeks. Neither meeting is within 140 miles of NYRI’s proposed route, where local representatives and residents say the NIETC’s would currently have the most impact.
“Like many local residents, I was insulted and outraged that the DOE would hold a hearing on proposed power lines that would run right through our backyards at locations over a hundred miles from our homes,” said 24th District Congressman Michael Arcuri (D-Utica).
In response, Arcuri will be holding a public meeting on the NIETC designations in Norwich from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at the city firehouse.
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