Mohawk Valley EDGE, the local group that promotes the Marcy chip fabrication site to potential developers, says New York Regional Interconnect's power line proposal would tear right through the Marcy site.

At this point, no one is telling us that the power line proposal, still in its infancy, had anything to do with Advanced Micro Devices choosing Saratoga County over Marcy for its next microchip manufacturing plant. But even if Marcy is the "back up site", this power line proposal would certainly disrupt those plans.

EDGE spokesman Rob Duchow said, about the Marcy site's potential, "That power line proposal by NYRI would be devastating to this. The proposal as it stands would put the power line directly through the site and really render this jewel of a site worthless."

AMD is not commenting on any of this, so it's difficult to know for sure if the power line proposal factored in.

Governor Pataki's office would be the first to publicly announce the official deal, which is not done yet. Until he or the company breaks their silence, we won't know for sure the impact of this power line proposal on current and future chip fabrication plans in Marcy.

Duchow added, "We continue to show this site and market this site, and if a company where to come now I think this industry is that important to New York State that the powers that be could take action so that power line doesn't happen."