NORWICH – New York Regional Interconnect is proposing to bury a portion of its power line through Chenango County, according to a notice the company sent to The Evening Sun Thursday.
The notice, in summary, also offers a series of alternatives to the proposed route, including one that would use the existing Marcy-South transmission corridor.
Through Chenango County, the power line would follow the New York Susquehanna & Western railroad tracks, as well as a NYSEG corridor, for 44 miles. It runs through a total of eight counties.
NYRI was forced to offer route alternatives by the New York State Public Service Commission, the state’s power line authority, after its first route and permit application were ruled deficient. The company will re-file a complete application on or about Feb. 22, the notice states.
If NYRI’s proposed route is approved, based on information provided by Canadian-backed company, it appears roughly 6.4 miles of its line in the towns of North Norwich and Norwich would be placed underground. It will still slice overhead through the town and village of Sherburne, as well as the towns of Guilford, Bainbridge and Afton.
“In Chenango County, the route traverses the Village of Sherburne, continuing within the NYS&W railroad property in the Chenango River Valley to the Town of North Norwich, where it goes underground within the NYS&W railroad at NYS Route 12. At a point just south of NYS Route 320, the route departs from the NYS&W railroad and runs underground parallel to an existing electric transmission line ROW (right of way) and after passing under county Route 33 transitions overhead, passing across the towns of Norwich, Guilford, Bainbridge and Afton,” the notice states.
According to the description of the proposed route, the line would not be visible on the east hill overlooking the City of Norwich until it reached the base of Polkville Hill. And, although somewhat vague, it appears the line would be underground along populated areas of East River Road in the Town of North Norwich and Woods Corners, located in the Town of Norwich.
The PSC, however, has the final say how the route would look, if the line is approved.
“It doesn’t change our stance one iota,” said Betsy Mahannah, a Woods Corners resident whose house sits roughly 40 feet from where the line is proposed to go. “It’s just a band-aid, meant to appease a few people. They figure if they bury part of the line, people will be OK with it. Well it’s not OK. We’re not OK with it. They’re still disrupting 44 miles of rural land.”
The notice also summarizes four partial route alternatives in Chenango County, including one that bypasses the Village of Sherburne.
Although it would be underground behind her house, Mahannah said she’s still against the $1.6 billion power line, fearing it could lower her home’s value, disrupt her own electrical and underground plumbing systems, and potentially create a health hazard, by way of electromagnetic fields or a malfunction. All concerns her family and others shouldn’t have to deal with at the hands of a private company, she said.
“The stress factor of all this is unreal – it’s wearing on us,” said Mahannah. “At our age, we should be able to know how this will affect us before it goes up.”
Eve Ann Shwartz, co-chair of the citizens’ group Stop NYRI and member of Communities Against Regional Interconnect (CARI), doesn’t believe NYRI’s offer to bury portions of the line will weaken what has been strong resistance to the project.
“I don’t think it changes the fundamentals of the project. They still haven’t proven it’s needed,” said Shwartz. “It still devastates a huge chunk of our communities, regardless of the changes proposed.”
Shwartz added: “They are trying to appease people ... it’s not going to work.”
The line would be underground near the Alteren Resort project in the Town of Norwich. Alteren has been put on hold because investors were worried the power line would ruin the resort’s image and viewscape. Project representatives could not be reached for comment.
NYRI claims the line would relieve energy constraints downstate. However, New York’s wholesale electricity regulator has reported that the project “need not be implemented” as a primary or alternative solution, since other grid upgrades are scheduled to take place.
A message seeking comment from Town of Norwich Supervisor David C. Law was not returned. Village of Sherburne Mayor William Acee would not comment without first conferring with the attorney representing the village in the NYRI case.
Richard B. Decker, North Norwich supervisor and chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, said it doesn’t make a difference if the line is above or below ground – it will still hurt the county.
“I’m still opposed to it,” said Decker, who lives near where the line will cross on Brookins Road. “There are alternatives ways of doing this. Running a power line through our communities is not the answer. Even if it’s underground in some spots, it will still run above ground in other communities. There’s no way I can support that. We don’t need it.”