October 28, 2007

Another Reversal for NYRI

STOP NYRI Inc. applauds the efforts of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who recently dealt the New York Regional Interconnect project a serious set-back. The Attorney General's office successfully defended the validity of a 2006 NY State law which removes the state power of eminent domain from transmission companies like NYRI, who seek to take private property over the objections of landowner's. On October 26, 2007, Federal Judge Thomas McAvoy, who serves on the bench for the Northern District of New York, dismissed NYRI's lawsuit challenging the state statute in its entirety.

In September the NYRI proposal to construct a 200-mile long high voltage power line through the heart of Central New York received an even more profound reversal when the New York Independent System Operator's biannual report concluded that the NYRI proposal was simply not needed in the foreseeable future.

The fight is far from over as NYRI still has to traverse the Public Service Commission (PSC) process and plans to take advantage of the new National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) recently designated by the Department of Energy. Under NIETC designations, private for profit companies such as NYRI could use the right of federal eminent domain to take private property, overriding the New York State eminent domain law and valid decisions of the PSC.

Eve Ann Shwartz, Co Chair of Stop NYRI Inc. commented, “We are very pleased by the Judge's decision which is one more nail in the NYRI project's coffin. We are working with a nationwide coalition of citizen, environmental and historic preservation groups, as well as state and local governments, to bring legal challenge against the recent NIETC designation. We will not rest until decisions about New York 's energy future are taken from Federal regulators and returned to the people of our state. We call upon Attorney General Cuomo to continue to defend the citizens of New York Sate by taking a leadership role in opposing the recent NIETC designations at the federal level.”

Contact: Chris Rossi
Co-chair STOP NYRI
Hubbardsville , NY 13355
315-691-5353

For more information visit www.stopnyri.info