NYRI is using the "environmental" argument in Washington to promote a environmental hazard in Central NY
honk...@gmail.com
make the down state people feel like they are doing something good for
the environment if they support the powerline.
We need someone with some knowdedge of the power grid and DC
powerlines to step up and refute this.
NYRI official: project could lead to more upstate wind farms
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
Email this story
Printer friendly format
February 27, 2007, 3:41 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- A high-voltage transmission line running through Central
New York could spur the creation of environmentally friendly wind
farms across the state, according to an official with the company that
hopes to build the line.
Bill May, project manager for the Albany-based New York Regional
Interconnect Inc., said Tuesday he has already spoken to would-be wind
farm developers who would likely benefit from construction of the
transmission line from Utica to the lower Hudson Valley.
The $1.6 billion, roughly 200-mile project has run into stiff
political opposition in New York, where many upstate residents fear it
would spoil their surroundings and property values.
Given that political climate, NYRI may find a more receptive audience
in Washington. A federal agency could override local objections and
allow it to proceed as a nationally important energy project. May
insisted Tuesday the company can still win state approval and NYRI
representatives are in Washington this week to make their case to
elected officials.
"I've met with a number of wind project developers who have a large
inventory of suitable sites because New York has just a wonderful
natural resource of wind," May said in an interview with The
Associated Press.
"There's lot of wind sites that are currently being viewed for
development, however they can't be economically developed. It's not a
suitable investment until they know there's a path to the market.
That's where our environmental message comes in," May said.
Wind farms can generate enemies among nearby residents who find them
unsightly, but modern windmills are also supported by many
environmentalists as a vastly cleaner source of energy than coal or
oil.
May declined to say which elected officials NYRI will meet with, but
aides to Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are
scheduled to meet with them Thursday. Both senators have expressed
doubts about the project, which has few proponents in the state
outside of New York City and its immediate suburbs.
The line would not directly feed New York City's energy demands, but
it would make power transmission more efficient in the densely
populated, high-demand area.
Schumer has criticized NYRI for having what he calls a "my way or the
highway" approach, while Clinton has criticized the proposed route and
said the issue should be decided by state officials, not a federal
agency.
Speaking later Tuesday, Clinton said she was still skeptical about the
NYRI project, but was noncommittal on the prospect of more wind farms
in upstate New York.
"I have a lot of questions, and I would like to see more answers," she
said in a conference call with reporters. "I don't think making
assertions about what might or might not occur is a good way to make
policy."
May warned that "without making some decisions now we will begin to
see, you know, significant reliability shortfalls" in New York's
supply of electricity. "NYRI, again, is a long term solution. It's
only a component of the state's long-term energy plan, but it's a
vital component."