Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-C, Rome) has asked the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) to side with the communities of Upstate New York to allow for an extended time to respond to the latest action by the New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) power line project.

“NYRI keeps trying to work the system to find some angle that will allow them to circumvent the will of the people of the region by building this massive, deadly power line project,” Griffo said. “I am urging the PSC to give the people fighting this project the time to assemble a response so that the PSC can have a sound basis for rejecting this latest gambit by NYRI.”

Griffo released the text of the brief letter, which said:

“As an elected official who has worked from the start to protect the
communities targeted by the New York Regional Interconnect power line
proposal, I am urging you to allow time for the state and local partners
fighting this line to develop a response to NYRI’s recent petition for a
declaratory ruling.”

“The regional group which I helped form – Communities Against Regional
Interconnect (CARI) – has filed a response with the PSC asking for an
extension of 60 days to file a response to the NYRI petition. Given the
fact that the citizens and communities who are threatened by NYRI’s
high-powered tactics are defending their communities and homes in addition to all the other responsibilities they face, the fact that the Christmas holidays make it difficult to bring people together across a region as vast as the NYRI targeted area, and the disruption of travel caused by the recent storms has created serious impediments to regional meetings, I strongly urge that the PSC allow CARI and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation the requested 60-day extension until March 1, 2008.”

“The communities NYRI is targeting with their project will live with the
consequences of the process for generations to come. The PSC can give them a few days to develop their response.”