NYRI held up, but not stopped, by PSC ruling

Officials vow to complete application

By FRITZ MAYER

NEW YORK STATE — Public officials and private activists are applauding last week’s action that put up a hurdle in the path of the company that wants to build a 200-mile power line in New York.

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) wrote in a letter to New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) that the company’s application to build the power line was not complete and needed significant additional information. While NYRI said the information would be provided, they could not say when that would happen.

Bill Douglass, executive director of the Upper Delaware Council (UDC), said any delay is a victory for those opposed to the project. He also said it shows that the PSC is “doing their job and discovering pieces of the puzzle that haven’t been submitted.”

Pat Carullo, a member of the Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition (UDPC), which has been actively working against the project, also saw the letter as a positive development. “The NYRI project keeps getting setbacks at every turn,” he said.

However, Jonathan Pierce, a spokesman for NYRI, saw the development differently. He said it was not unusual for the PSC to ask for more information from an applicant.

The letter from the PSC to NYRI outlined 10 specific requirements that the company failed to complete, ranging from the rather minor to others that may require significant resources to complete.

Among the minor deficiencies was the failure of NYRI to send copies of its permit application to a number of municipalities along the proposed route. Among the more serious deficiencies was the failure to show the proposed power line route right-of-way on “aerial photographs that are of sufficient scale and detail to enable identification of all natural and cultural features.” Several documents that were missing from the application had to do with design drawings and technical engineering issues.

In its letter, the PSC told NYRi officials that the agency couldn’t schedule the required public hearings on the project until the application is complete.

According to observers, the additional information sought by the PSC will cause NYRI to do further research and spend more money, but they warn that it will not stop the company from pursuing its goal.

Dr. William Pammer, planning commissioner for Sullivan County, told the Gannet News Service, “This is a well-organized entity that’s seeking to put in a large-scale power line that’s going to have benefits for them. This letter is not going to stop them.”