Bury wires, lawmakers say
CATSKILL - Opposition on Wednesday was vehement among Greene County legislators to a Conjunction LLC plan for electric transmission lines being placed above ground along the state Thruway right-of-way as part of a plan to run lines from Albany County to New York City.
A three-page resolution was approved by county lawmakers in a 12-0 vote, with Legislator Richard Carl, R-Leeds, absent, and will be sent to state officials asking that the company be required to pay the additional $50 million necessary to bury lines in Greene County as part of a $750 million project.
Officials reported the project is proposed to include construction of five to six 95-foot-tall towers per mile in Greene County, which is the only section of the project with wires above ground along the 125-mile route.
"This resolution represents this county not being pushed around any longer," county Majority Leader Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, R-Coxsackie, said. "We're not going to be considered anything less than surrounding counties."
Mathes added that Conjunction LLC officials have not been honest about how the project would be constructed.
"I went to the public hearing and I feel almost like (a company spokesperson) was a snake oil salesman," he said. "He was very slick."
Among concerns listed in the resolution was the impact on historic sites on both sides of the Hudson River.
"The transmission lines and poles will be seen from Frederic Church's Olana ... and the Bronck House," lawmakers wrote.
Officials were also bothered by a promise of 10 percent reductions in electric rates, amounting to about $600 million in annual savings, being offered to customers in the New York metropolitan area.
"Greene County will see no significant reduction in electrical rates or comparable economic benefits from the transmission line," lawmakers said.
Officials also released a letter from Greene County Chamber of Commerce President Donald Gibson, who said the project would have a harmful effect on the county's economy, which depends considerably on its rural character.
"The current proposal singles out Greene County for overhead lines, which will impinge on ... scenic beauty and could negatively impact Greene County's image as a tourist destination," he said.
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