Locals raise concerns about proposed Clean Path NY power project

Aug. 17—Several people squeezed into the meeting room at Delhi Village Hall to learn more about the Clean Path NY power project and voice their approval or concerns about the project during a public hearing Thursday, Aug. 17.

The state Public Service Commission held an information forum and public statement hearing at the village hall. The commissioned outlined what the Article VII proceedings are before Luke Falk, chief operating officer at EnergyRe and Gordy Gray, vice president of transmission development at Invenergy, the two companies working with the New York Power Authority on the project outlined what the project will entail.

The plan is to build a converter station at the substation in Fraser, which would convert the energy from alternating current to direct current to be transmitted along a 178-mile-long, 1,300-megawatt transmission line. This line would consist of two five-inch diameter wire cables that would be buried underground and be placed in the riverbeds of the Hudson River at Newburgh, and the Harlem and East rivers in New York City. The direct current will be converted back to alternating current at a converter station in Queens before it powers homes downstate. Along other waterways, including the east and west branches of the Delaware River, the transmission lines will cross the lines will be placed well under the riverbeds.

Gray said the trench where the cables will be buried will be three feet wide and five feet deep. In Delaware County, the trench will go through portions of the towns of Delhi, Hamden, Colchester and Hancock before it enters Sullivan County.

Falk said building the transmission line would benefit the environment as it will eliminate 49 million tons of carbon emissions from the air. The transmission line will take power generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric to New York City so the city can phase out its power plants that convert natural gas to energy.

Following the presentation, people in the audience were able to ask questions. Arden Keller said she lives right across from where the converter station will be built and had some concerns including if the current tree line could be preserved and her property values. Gray said they would try to keep the trees and would share the visual impact assessment with her. Falk invited Keller to talk with them following the presentation.

Jason Noviello said he owns a farm in Hamden where the transmission line is proposed to go through and he is concerned two spring-fed water sources will be contaminated during construction. He said he was concerned for his livestock as well. Falk said he could contact staff at EnergyRe to discuss his concerns.

Hamden Town Supervisor Wayne Marshfield said the town had several concerns including safety, water quality, damage to agricultural lands and damage to local roads, and applied with the county and the other towns affect for intervenor funds. The four towns and the county received part of the $400,000 the company set aside for intervenor funds and hired Young/Sommer LLC to be the intervenor between the county and the company.

Maya Boukai asked if the state would enforce eminent domain on property owners. Anthony Balsito, administration law judge for the state Public Service Commission said no. She asked if the company would host benefit or payment in lieu of taxes in perpetuity. Falk said since it is state owned it is not subject to taxation, however, the company will spend "$270 million in community-led investments for job training, education, public health and the environment."

Following the question and answer segment, people could speak in favor or against the project or raise concerns about the project.

Three people, Dwayne Faaguharson, Benito Arellano and Brandon Curry, representing laborers unions in New York, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh, spoke in favor of the project because as proposed it would create 8,200 jobs. Curry said he represented a union that has members from Delaware and Sullivan counties.

Noviello reiterated the concerns he asked about and said he wanted those concerns addressed before the project was approved.

Wesley Gillingham, associate director of Catskill Mountainkeeper, said he had concerns about the burial of the transmission lines as the geology of the area includes a lot of bedrock. He said there are four to five major ridges the transmission will be buried along and storm runoff is a possibility. He did thank the company for moving the transmission line away from a 10,350-year-old peat bog, but said he had concerns about other waterways the lines would go under including ponds.

The application may be reviewed online at the Department of Public Service website, www.dps.ny.gov. To access documents, click on "File Search" (located under the heading "Commission Files"), and enter "22-T-0558" in the "Search by Case Number" field. The application is also available for review at local public libraries in the project vicinity.

Those who were not able attend but want to comment about the project can do so online, by mail or over the phone prior to Oct. 20. Go to www.dps.ny.gov, and complete the above file search and case number directions, then click on the "Post Comments" box at the top of the page.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the commission and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number, as described above, and clicking on the "Public Comments" tab.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling the commission's opinion line at 1-800-335-2120. The number is set up to receive comments about pending cases from in-state callers 24-hours a day, according to the release. The comments will not be transcribed verbatim, but a summary will be provided to the commission.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.