Sen. Schumer: Energy projects up to state
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has introduced legislation that would give the state the ability to supersede the federal government's energy corridor plan.
Schumer's legislation would give the state the final decision in approving energy projects such as the New York Regional Interconnect power line, he said during a Tuesday meeting with the Observer-Dispatch editorial board.
"We have a good chance to try and change this around," Schumer said. "My bill says give the power to the states, but don't allow an electric company or any company that is arrogant and doesn't care about the community to just foreclose or use eminent domain on its own."
Under the U.S. Department of Energy's corridor proposal, New York Regional Interconnect's proposal to build a 1,200-megawatt power line through South Utica, New Hartford and the Sauquoit Creek Valley could get federal approval even if the state denies the application.
"The state, I think, is a reasonable compromise," Schumer said. "We're going to try to move our legislation and put it on some other bill."
Schumer's statement comes in the wake of 11 environmental groups suing the Energy Department more than a week ago over its creation of a mid-Atlantic corridor.
'A local issue' Paul DeCotis, the state's deputy secretary for energy, said the state does not want to be superseded by the federal government on the power line issue.
"We believe it's a local issue and it needs to be decided by the state and local government," he said.
The only action to date that's been taken by the state is to fight the designation, DeCotis said.
Several months ago the state's Public Service Commission and Department of Environmental Conservation, along with several other groups, filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Energy seeking a rehearing of the corridor decision.
Energy officials announced in December they will re-examine the decision to declare the national energy corridors.
Cassville resident Jayne Baran said Schumer's proposed legislation would be a good idea, and would help protect the interest of citizens.
"I don't think the federal government should be able to have a private company have eminent domain," she said.
New York Regional Interconnect spokesman David Kalson said the company has always favored the state process.
"Other than that everything is hypothetical," Kalson said.
State's rights Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said he agrees with Schumer and believes in state's rights when it comes to issues such as the power line.
"We do need his support and I've always believed the state needed the power to decide," Picente said.
Schumer said he does believe in the need for more power and power lines, but companies should go about it the right way, and New York Regional Interconnect has not, he said.
"The more progressive, thoughtful power companies try to sit down with the communities and figure it out," Schumer said.
Paul Steidler, director of communications for Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance, a New York City-based group in favor of the power line, said thinks it's a state issue and should be a state decision.
The focus should not be on legislation, but rather on putting proposals out and getting fair consideration for the projects, he said.
"The reality is the system has not been working that well," he said. "It's got to the point that New York has one of the worst transmission arteries in the country."