WASHINGTON – Another bill aimed at weakening Washington’s influence in the fate of New York Regional Interconnect’s power line was introduced Tuesday in the Senate by Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, according to a joint press release from the two New York Democrats.

Schumer and Clinton’s anti-<a href="http://www.evesun.com/topics/news/NYRI/">NYRI</a> legislation, the first of its kind to be born in the Senate, would up-end several provisions in the 2005 Energy Policy Act that give the U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unprecedented authority to override a state’s existing power line review process.

Norwich resident Betsy Mahannah says she’s appreciative of the anti-NYRI support in Washington and Albany, but says it’s a fundamental flaw in the democratic process these bills even have to exist.