Function Vs. Nature: The New York Regional Interconnect

Function vs. Nature: The New York Regional Interconnect

Erik Bruner-Yang

University of Mary Washington

March.16, 2007

Environmental Issue Report - Geography 221

Table of Contents

Function vs. Nature: The New York Regional Interconnect........................................3

Appendix I: New York Regional Interconnect Power Line Proposal................................10

Appendix II: Cities Map of New York State............................................................11

Appendix III: Upstate New York Map...................................................................12

Appendix IV: Just How Tall is 110' Feet Anyway?....................................................................13

Works Cited .................................................................................................14

Function vs. Nature: The New York Regional Interconnect

In the spring of 2006, a private corporation called the New York Regional Interconnect submitted an Article VII permit application to the New York State Public Service Commission. This private corporation, backed by a group of high profile investors, was currently seeking permits to build a two hundred mile long high voltage direct current transmission power line from Oneida County in upstate New York to Orange County (see Appendix I). The purpose of these lines is to fix New York State's electricity transmission deficiency near New York City and its surrounding suburbs by taking surplus power from upstate New York and passing it through a series of towers down the state (NYRI 2007). However, there has been a regional backlash against the proposal by residents of the upstate New York area. Citizens have battled to stop the passing of the proposal, due to several environmental and economic issues that the power lines raise, and they have managed to succeed on the state level. This has not stopped the New York Regional Interconnect as they now have taken their proposal to the federal government, hoping to appeal to legislatures that are attracted by its functionality and unaware of the threats it poses to the upstate New York area.

The geographic region of upstate New York has never been officially defined but it is popularly known as north of the Hudson River Valley up to the Canadian border, extending west to Interstate 81 and down to where I-287 crosses the Hudson River, and as far south as the cities of Nyack and Tarrytown (TUNYRS 1997). This also includes the cities Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, Binghamton, Poughkeepsie, and Middletown (see Appendix III). The regions affected by the NYRI begins south of the Adirondacks in the Leatherstocking region, then borders the region of the Finger Lakes, crosses the Catskill Mountains by following the Delaware River Valley, and then into the northern part of the Hudson Valley. Upstate New York is still a region in transition. Manufacturing jobs in the last two decades have been cut by 26% and as other secondary and primary economic activities continue to diminish, the region has not properly adjusted. Many of the regions now rely heavily on recruiting new tertiary economic sources by promoting the area's landscape and tourism as an attempt to rebuild the area's economy.

One of the most controversial parts of the NYRI proposal is its river route along the Upper Delaware River Valley. Most of the proposed NYRI route is placed along side designated zoning for such construction. The Upper Delaware River Valley has had many different economic functions since Swedish settlers began substantial settlement of the area in 1730. The various economic plans of the valley have been primarily focused on exploiting the valley's natural resources ranging from timber rafting, shipment of goods, tanneries, and agriculture. Now the valley relies mainly on its quarrying operations that provide shipment to New York City and Jersey City for streets and curbs and on tourism (NPS 2007). Now much of that land that was used for agriculture, tanneries, and other economic activities of the past have grown into beautiful and lush forested areas and predominately used as tourism marketing tool.

According to The Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition, seventy-three miles of the NYRI route will violate the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act that was enacted in 1978. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was amended specifically to protect the Upper Delaware River Valley and the NYRI proposal and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission newly acquired power to claim eminent domain on protected land based on "National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor" continue to threaten the river valley. According to The Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition, "the negative visual impact of this project will cause irreparable damage to the river valley and have devastating economic repercussions in the region. Tourism, the most lucrative industry in our area, relies almost exclusively on the unspoiled beauty of the river corridor which will be totally compromised if towers line the Delaware" (UDPC 2006).

The NYRI poses many environmental threats to the areas it could potentially pass through. One of the main reasons protesters, like the Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition, cite as their adamant disapproval of the NYRI is how the construction of such a massive project will drastically change the landscape of the region. The necessary construction will demolish approximately two hundred miles of private property and federally protected parkland (SNYRI 2007). These power lines will range in height from as small as 85 feet tall to 180 feet tall. Appendix IV shows that some of the power lines will extend twice as high as some of the trees in the affected area, are