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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today directly appealed to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reject a request for a special federal designation from New York Regional Interconnection, Inc. (NYRI) that could expedite and facilitate the construction of a high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line from Oneida County to Orange County, New York.
NYRI requested that the DOE designate a 200-mile corridor running from Marcy to New Windsor as a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC), which could preempt New York State's authority over the review and approval of transmission lines, and would directly conflict with an existing federal mandate to preserve a scenic and environmentally important part of the state. Hinchey opposes this designation based on the fact that one of the two currently proposed routes for the transmission lines runs through the federally protected Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor.
"High voltage power lines and towers have no place along the treasured Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River," Hinchey said. "The federal government has already designated this scenic corridor as off limits for massive power lines such as the one NYRI is proposing, which is why it is imperative that the Department of Energy reject this new request that could enable a proposal such as that by NYRI to circumvent that designation. I recognize the need for power, but we must find ways to meet that need without putting up transmission lines that are completely inconsistent with the natural environment surrounding them."
The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River is protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which recognized the River Valley's scenic, recreational, historic, environmental and cultural assets. The designation specifically provides for the long-term protection of the River Valley by the National Park Service. Additionally, the River Management Plan for this corridor, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Interior, explicitly prohibits the construction of electric transmission lines of the scope NYRI proposed, recognizing them as incompatible with the protection of the corridor. Hinchey said that River Management Plan recognizes that projects such as the one NYRI is proposing are a threat to the River Valley as an important natural resource and would be injurious to the long-term environmental and economic well-being of the region.
"Rather than facilitating the expedition and possible federal preemption of the permitting and construction of these power lines through this sensitive and protected area, I believe that this project deserves a thorough review process by the NYS Public Service Commission, that can assess the local impacts of this proposal and consider fully the long-term interests of the region of New York that I represent," Hinchey wrote in a letter sent today to Kevin Kolevar, Director of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the DOE. "I hope that the Department of Energy, in consideration of the existing federal designation and protections in this proposed NIETC, will not grant the request by NYRI."
The new federal designation requested by NYRI was created in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which Hinchey strongly opposed and voted against.
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Hinchey's letter to the DOE follows:
May 2, 2006
Kevin M. Kolevar, Director
Office of Electricity Delivery and
Energy Reliability
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585
Dear Mr. Kolevar:
I am writing in regards to the Request for Early Designation of Constrained Area as a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) submitted to your office by the New York Regional Interconnection, Inc. (NYRI) on March 6, 2006. NYRI has requested that the Department of Energy designate as a NIETC a transmission corridor in New York State stretching from Oneida County to Orange County. As the federal representative for many of the communities located in this proposed corridor, I am writing to respectfully urge the Department of Energy to deny NYRI's designation request.
NYRI has indicated that it will be seeking approvals in the near future from the New York State Public Service Commission to construct a 200-mile high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line from Marcy to New Windsor, New York. NYRI has proposed two study routes for this transmission line, one of which is located along more than 73 miles of the nationally-designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor.
The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor is one of this region's most important natural resources. This corridor's federal designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act recognizes the River Valley's outstanding scenic, recreational, historic, environmental and cultural assets and specifically provides for this corridor's protection for present and future generations by the National Park Service. Furthermore, the River Management Plan for this corridor, which was approved by the Department of Interior, explicitly prohibits the construction of electric transmission lines of this size, recognizing them as incompatible with the protection of this corridor. This prohibition recognizes that such projects are a threat to this tremendous natural resource and would be injurious to the long-term environmental and economic well-being of the Upper Delaware River Valley.
The Department of Energy's designation of a NIETC would signal that the federal government is interested in facilitating the construction of new transmission lines through the proposed corridor and under certain conditions, could transfer the jurisdiction for siting these transmission lines from New York State to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. I believe that this request should be denied due to the fact that one of the two possible routes is a federally-protected corridor, and the construction of HVDC lines would be incompatible with this federal designation and its associated protections.
Rather than facilitating the expedition and possible federal preemption of the permitting and construction of these power lines through this sensitive and protected area, I believe that this project deserves a thorough review process by the NYS Public Service Commission, that can assess the local impacts of this proposal and consider fully the long-term interests of the region of New York that I represent. I hope that the Department of Energy, in consideration of the existing federal designation and protections in this proposed NIETC, will not grant the request by NYRI.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any additional information or can be of any assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
Maurice D. Hinchey
cc: John Adams, N.Y. Independent System Operator
William Flynn, N.Y.S. Public Service Commission
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