UTICA, N.Y. - Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. today criticized New York Regional Interconnect for its lack of response to his challenge that top NYRI officials visit Oneida County for face-to-face meetings about the power line project.

“When an elected official representing thousands of people who would be impacted by this project asks for a meeting with a real person, and not a blizzard of press releases, we are met with silence,” said Picente, who noted that only two days after the state had ruled NYRI’s application was complete, the company was mailing local officials to tell them the news and urge officials all along the route to support the project.

However, when Picente responded to an NYRI mailing on Sept. 9th asking for a meeting, a week has passed with no answer or acknowledgement.

“When they want to tell one side of the story, they generate all sorts of communications. When you challenge them to have an honest, open dialogue, there is no response.”

"The silence from NYRI in response to my letter speaks louder than words,” Picente said. “If they cannot come here and look me in the eye – and look the people of Clayville, South Utica, and Waterville in the eye – and tell us about the supposed benefits of this project, that should tell the state Public Service Commission, the federal Department of Energy and everyone else at every level who will review this project that NYRI has no interest in being the good citizen it likes to portray itself. NYRI’s game is clearly to bury the state and federal regulators with paper, send out press releases and form letters with unproven claims, and duck the real issue – the damage this project would cause to the communities targeted along the proposed route. For a project of this magnitude, with the damage it would do to dozens of communities along its route, the fact that NYRI refuses to talk to the people it wants to ride roughshod over should count against the project when the PSC reviews the application.”